The City of Aurora’s Water Production Division is leading public education efforts on the City’s Lead Action Level Exceedance Notice, which was issued July 14, along with the City’s lead service line replacement progress.
The notice detailed the discovery of an elevated level of lead in drinking water in select homes across the City. Although some homes may have exceeded the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) action level for lead, it is important to note that the water originating from the City of Aurora’s Water Treatment plant does not have lead in it. Aurora’s drinking water fully complies with standards set by the State and Federal government.
The City of Aurora is committed to protecting the health and well-being of every household in the community through proper testing, treatment, and supply of water. Specific actions being taken by the City of Aurora to mitigate lead exposure risks in drinking water include:
•Ongoing sampling to monitor lead occurrence and levels throughout the water distribution system
•Public education to assist homeowners with actions they can take individually to reduce exposure to lead
•Ongoing removal of lead service lines throughout Aurora
•Implementation of new corrosion control treatments, which include the use of orthophosphate. Orthophosphate proactively reacts with lead to reduce the amount of it that can leach into drinking water, thus lowering potential exposure to lead when the water comes in contact with a lead service line. This use of this treatment began in March.
The City of Aurora is also actively removing lead and galvanized water lines to protect residents. Since 2018, the City has replaced 3,549 lead service lines, with more scheduled to be replaced in the coming years. These efforts will greatly assist in mitigating the chance for any lead particles to end up in household drinking water.
Residents who want to request replacement of their lead or galvanized service line can visit https://yourvoice.aurora.il.us/leadnotice.The interactive website includes a map that allows customers to verify if their service line is composed of lead, an unknown material, galvanized, or whether or not there are known lead connectors of unknown material feeding water into the line.
The City of Aurora will replace, at no cost to the customer, lead service lines when disturbances, such as maintenance activities or underground infrastructure improvements, occur, as well as when a test reveals a service line that has a reported lead concentration level in excess of the action level. In other cases, customers can, at their own cost, replace the service line from the meter on the inside of their property out to the curb stop (the shut off valve outside the house, generally located near the front property line), and the city will provide a filtration device prior to the commencement of that work; upon completion of that work, the City will schedule the replacement of the remainder of the service line from the curb stop to the water main at no cost to the customer within thirty days, weather pending.
The City of Aurora will strategically continue lead service line replacements across the City, meeting the State of Illinois requirement to replace three percent of the system annually.
For more information send to email waterlines@aurora.il.us.
—City of Aurora government