Elgin, Illinois holds open house to warn about high lead levels in some homes' water
ELGIN, Ill. (CBS) -- Some Elgin residents should think twice before grabbing a glass of water from the sink – as their homes may have elevated levels of lead in the drinking water.
The city held an open house to a inform the public Tuesday. Meanwhile, CBS 2 talked with one homeowner who has been living with the lead problem already for about a year.
Joanne Corcoran has lived in Elgin for 36 years - and didn't have a problem with her water, until last year when her water tested positive for lead.
"We were a little surprised - or I was - especially as I read more about the real dangers," said Corcoran. "You kind of know about the dangers of it."
Corcoran and seven other residents' water tested positive for lead last Spring.
"We've been living with it, and didn't think much of it until they put it in the newspaper - and also, Elgin mailed out a letter – an informational letter about testing," said Corcoran.
The City of Elgin tests the water for lead twice a year.
The second time was in the fall, and 19 homes out of 100 had elevated levels.
The lead is not actually in Elgin's water, but it is in some pipes and wells. The city's water director and staff held an open house Tuesday so people can learn about the city's efforts and find out about a lead service line replacement program.
City of Elgin Water Director Nora Bertram said the change in temperature could play a factor in the increased lead level.
"Because the test results are so house-specific, and they're so dependent on stagnation time, a lot of our testing locations are the same between the spring and the fall," Bertram said, "and you know, maybe in the fall, it sat for a couple of hours longer before they sampled it."
The city says it has proactively replaced the public portion of water service lines for the past 10 years.
"Last year, we replaced over 870 lead service lines," said Bertram. "and that's the complete lead service line, from the water main to all the way into the house."
Corcoran said she found out Tuesday that her pipes will not be fixed until next year. In the meantime, she will continue to use her water filter that the city gave her.
The city said it plans to replace 870 lines per year until their completion date, which is 2036.
