Elgin officials say new testing protocols cause more homes to test positive for elevated lead levels
Elgin officials say that changes in testing protocols have resulted in a higher number of homes and buildings showing elevated lead levels in their water compared to previous tests.
The city takes 100 random samples of homes and businesses most at risk for lead in water — those built or plumbed before 1988 — every six months as part of its routine water-quality testing.
Over the past few years, roughly 15% to 20% of the samples have come in above the acceptable 15 parts per billion threshold. Notifications are issued if more than 10% of the homes and buildings tested exceed that concentration.
Testing in the second half of 2024 found 67 of the 100 homes and buildings sampled to have lead levels above the action level, with 54 parts per billion as the 90th percentile value from the set of homes sampled.
Water Director Nora Bertram said more homes and buildings tested above the level than previously because of a federally mandated change in sampling protocols, not because of any changes in the water quality.
The previous water sampling protocol required what is commonly called a “first draw,” testing water that had been stagnant in a home’s interior plumbing, which is not typically made of lead.
The new testing protocol requires that the sample be a “fifth liter” sample, drawing water from the lead service line, which travels from the home’s exterior wall to the water main in the street.
“The new 'fifth liter' testing focuses on water from lead service lines, which naturally shows higher lead content after stagnation,” Bertram said. “Lead is not present in Elgin’s source water (wells and river water), nor is lead in Elgin’s treated drinking water.”
Bertram recommended residents with lead service lines flush their water for at least five minutes before use to reduce lead exposure.
Roughly 11,000 of the 34,000 households in the city are served by legacy lead water service pipes. Elgin has been working for the past decade to replace them through various programs, completing approximately 2,405 since 2018, including 900 last year.
Elgin has made a multiyear, $150 million commitment to replace every lead service line in the city at no cost to the homeowner. The city is removing almost 1,000 lead service lines annually at a cost of approximately $15,000 per household or business. It is on track to meet a federal mandate to have them all replaced by 2037.
An interactive dashboard at elginIL.gov/lead shows the real-time progress of water service line replacements and offers a lookup of lead service lines by address. Free water tests and filters for eligible homes are also available.
Lead can cause serious health problems if too much enters the body from either drinking water or sources like lead-based paint and lead-contaminated dust or soil. Children 6 and younger and pregnant women especially are vulnerable.
According to the Environmental Protection Agency, a dose of lead that would have little effect on an adult can have a significant effect on a child. Human skin does not absorb lead in water, so bathing and showering offer no risk, even if lead is present.