Beginning in the summer of 2021, the City is undertaking an initiative to inventory and replace all lead service lines in the corporate boundaries. On June 14, 2021, the city council voted to move forward with a grant application to the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) to fund the replacement of lead service lines. If successful, the grant will cover the entire cost of each service line replacement.
A service line is the water pipe that delivers drinking water from the public water main to the home or business. Service lines are owned by the property owner and can be composed of lead if installed before 1986 when the use of lead water pipes was banned by the Federal government. The use of lead solder for joining copper pipes was also banned.
Galena property owners with structures built in 1986 or earlier are asked to complete the following survey regarding their water service line. Surveys should be returned to City Hall not later than August 13, 2021. Water Department personnel are available to inspect your water service line to assist you with completing the survey. Please call City Hall at 815-777-1050 to schedule an inspection.
Letter from Mayor Requesting Completion of Survey
Pipe Identification Procedures
Lead is a naturally occurring metal that is harmful if inhaled or swallowed. Lead can be found in air, soil, dust, food, and water.
The most common source of lead exposure is from paint in homes and buildings built before 1978. Lead-based paint and lead-contaminated dust are the main sources of exposure for lead in U.S. children. Lead-based paints were banned for use in housing in 1978.
Although the main sources of exposure to lead are ingesting paint chips and inhaling dust, lead also can be found in some household plumbing materials and some water service lines. The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that 10 to 20 percent of human exposure to lead may come from lead in drinking water. Infants who consume mostly mixed formula can receive 40 to 60 percent of their exposure to lead from drinking water.
Lead can cause a variety of adverse health effects when people are exposed to it. These effects may include increases in the blood pressure of some adults; delays in normal physical and mental development in babies and young children; and, deficits in the attention span, hearing, and learning abilities of children.
Lead is rarely found naturally in our source water or in the treated water flowing through the distribution system. More commonly, lead leaches into water over time through corrosion—a dissolving or wearing away of metal caused by a chemical reaction between water and your plumbing. Lead can leach into water from pipes, solder, fixtures, faucets (brass) and fittings. The amount of lead in your water depends on the types and amounts of minerals in the water, how long the water stays in the pipes, the water’s corrosivity, and water temperature.
The City of Galena is required to sample for lead once every year. The most recent samples showed that all sampled households were in compliance with federal regulations for content. Samples were voluntarily taken from each of the three City of Galena wells that supply all of the water to the community. The samples were tested by an EPA licensed independent laboratory. Lead was not detected in any of the samples. This confirmed that the Galena source water does not contain lead.
You can also have your water tested for lead. Since you cannot see, taste, or smell lead dissolved in water, testing is the only sure way of telling whether there are harmful quantities of lead in your drinking water. A list of certified laboratories is available from the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency at:
https://epa.illinois.gov/topics/drinking-water/private-well-users/well-water-testing.html
The EPA defines high-risk homes as follows:
If you are concerned your home plumbing may contain lead pipes (lead is a dull gray metal that is soft enough to be easily scratched with a house key or coin) or if you see signs of corrosion (frequent leaks, rust-colored water), you may want to have your water tested by a state certified laboratory. Testing is the only way to confirm if lead is present or absent.
The City of Galena is responsible for the public water mains. The “service line” from the main to the house or business is the responsibility of the property owner. Lead services lines from the main to the home are not part of the public water system and are the responsibility of the property owner. The City is currently applying for grant funding that would cover the cost of lead service line replacement that would normally be the responsibility of the property owner. The City of Galena strongly advises that you contact a licensed plumber should you proactively undertake any work on your service line.
There are many steps you can take to reduce your exposure to lead in drinking water, but if you have lead service lines, the best step you can take is to have them replaced.
In addition:
www.epa.gov/your-drinking-water/basic-information-about-lead-drinking-water