Elgin again alerting residents of elevated lead levels in drinking water
Elgin officials are again alerting residents after some drinking water samples exceeded allowable lead levels during a recent test.
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. Notifications must be issued if more than 10% of the homes tested exceed a lead concentration of 15 parts per billion.
In the first half of 2025, the tests found that 48 of the 100 samples had lead levels above the action level.
Lead is not present in Elgin’s source water or its treated drinking water. Officials say the source is likely the service lines leading from the municipal water pipes to residents' homes. Lead can enter the water through the corrosion of lead pipes, solder or fixtures.
The numbers are down from testing in the second half of 2024 when 67 of the 100 samples exceeded the action level.
“The recent testing results demonstrate the need for continued focus as a community on lead service line replacements,” Elgin’s Water Director Nora Bertram said.
Roughly 8,900 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 almost 2,800 since 2018, including 350 so far this 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 nearly 1,000 lead service lines annually at a cost of approximately $15,000 per household or business.
“The city has established a robust replacement program with the goal of becoming lead-free by 2036,” Bertram said.
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 are available for eligible homes.
Lead can cause serious health problems if too much enters the body because of drinking water or other sources, including 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 impact on a child. Human skin does not absorb lead in water, so bathing and showering offer no risk, even if lead is present.