Elgin issues alert after drinking water samples exceed allowable lead levels during test
While Elgin officials are again alerting residents after some drinking water samples exceeded allowable lead levels during a recent test, the city says the results were better than the previous monitoring period due to changes in their water treatment process.
Lead is not present in Elgin’s source water or its treated drinking water, but can leach in through corroded lead service lines in homes and buildings plumbed before 1988.
As part of its routine water-quality testing, the city takes 100 random samples every six months from homes and buildings expected to have lead in their plumbing due to lead service lines.
Notifications must be issued if more than 10% of the homes tested exceed a lead concentration of 15 parts per billion.
The first set of test results from this year indicates a 90th-percentile value of 0.0185 mg/l, exceeding the 0.015 action level.
According to a news release from the city, this period’s results are “much lower” than previous tests due to changes in the water treatment process.
The city performed a corrosion control study that suggested adding orthophosphate, a corrosion inhibitor that helps prevent lead from leaching into the water.
The city began adding it to its water in November of last year and said it will continue adding it until all lead service lines are replaced.
Elgin has been replacing the publicly owned portion of a lead water service line (water main to the shut-off valve) as part of capital improvement projects over the past dozen years.
For the past six years, the city has been assisting residents in replacing their private portion of the lead water service line when disturbed by city activity.
The city’s Lead Service Line Replacement has replaced approximately 3,997 lead service lines since 2018, with about 554 service lines replaced so far in 2026.
The city says it will continue to replace as many lead service lines as possible each year, with a goal of 1,000 lines per year or more if additional federal or grant money becomes available.
According to the city’s lead response dashboard, 7,458 of the roughly 34,000 households in the city are served by legacy lead water service pipes. The interactive dashboard 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 via the site, or residents can call the city at 311 (or 847-931-6001 if outside of Elgin).
Lead can cause serious health problems if too much enters the body through drinking water or other sources, including lead-based paint and lead-contaminated dust or soil. Children 6 and younger and pregnant women are especially 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.