City of Chicago program to Replace Lead Water Pipes is going at a 'drip drip' Pace

According to Chicago Sun-Times "watchdogs," fewer than 300 Chicago homeowners with lead water pipes connecting their home to the city water main -- have had them replaced under a two-year-old city program.

The Sun-Times determined that a mere 280 homes have had their 'lead service lines' replaced. Chicago has an estimated 390,000 lead service lines leading to homes, the most of any city in the country.

Lead service lines were still being installed in Chicago as recently as 1986 even though the metal’s harmful health effects were well known by then.

Beginning next month (January 2023), the city of Chicago will be required by state law to replace lead service pipes every time there is a break or leak in those pipes. That will force the city to replace a projected 4,000 to 5,000 lines a year.

Chicago residents with a break or leak in their water service line should call 311.

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