The city of East Moline, like many municipalities across the country, is collaborating with homeowners in replacing lead pipes on their properties.
Director of Water Filtration, Brianna Huber, said the city estimates there are more than 2,000 lead service lines.
“[W]e recently did another set of public monitoring where we took water samples from about 60 of the homes in East Moline that we know have a lead service line. And we checked the lead levels in that drinking water with this particular round of sampling,” Huber said in an interview with WVIK. “We had 14 of those 60 homes that came back above what the EPA calls the maximum contaminant level, which is 15 parts per billion. And so whenever we see that, we just want to make homeowners aware. So the people whose homes tested at that level or participated in our testing program at all, they all received a copy of the results for their home.”
The city of East Moline has pursued state revolving fund loans, which are low-interest, long-term loans to replace these lead service lines.
“So the average cost in the state of Illinois to replace a lead service line is about $8,000. If you take that and multiply that by the 2,000 suspected lead service lines that we have in the city of East Moline, that is $16 million, plus there's some engineering expense in there as well,” Huber said. “And we do not expect residents to be able to pay for that, even though these service lines are privately owned. So the city has taken out these long-term, low-interest loans. In fact, there's zero percent interest for this year's loans. And we will recuperate that payment long term through small utility rate increases that are specifically designated to pay back these loans.”
Huber said residents saw a utility rate increase in February 2025.
“Part of that increase is to pay for these lead service line replacements. Part of it is just other upgrades to the critical infrastructure systems for drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater,” Huber said.
The process involves the city working with contractors to inventory lead service lines in people’s homes; the resident needs to agree for the city to conduct the replacement procedure.
“I continue to create our inventory, which identifies what the service line materials are and then just actively participate when we're asking them to grant us permission to replace those lead service lines, should they have one when it comes their time to be replaced,” Huber said. “The city of East Moline is actively trying to have all lead service lines replaced by the end of 2028. So we are not dragging this out. We're taking it very seriously. What we say is ‘Get the lead out’. We just want to get it out of our community and permanently reduce the risk of exposure to lead and drinking water for our community.”
Huber said residents can take photos of their service lines for the city to inspect or allow inspectors to enter their residence. Residents will receive notice from the city as they work through neighborhoods over the next few years.
Currently, the city has replaced 277 lead service lines. Huber said the city is awaiting final approval of its phase 1 and phase 2 applications for the state revolving fund loans. According to Huber, the FY2025 budget amount reserved for lead replacement under the Illinois EPA is $102,450,000.19 to be distributed across the entire state. The city expects to start the process this summer, with under 800 homes selected for replacement.
“[W]e will be prioritizing places that have children under the age of six. So daycares, schools, medical centers, and then disadvantaged neighborhoods will be prioritized first,” Huber said.
Huber said residents can lower their risk of lead exposure by turning on faucets and letting the water run for a few minutes to flush out the service line and deliver clean water from the city. Residents should also use cold water for drinking, cooking, and baby formula. She also advises cleaning the faucet aerators to clear lead. Residents can also contact a plumber to help identify the components of their service line.
More information on the East Moline’s Get the Lead Out program is available online on its website.
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