East Chicago Ties Lead Problem To Crumbling Infrastructure

Officials from East Chicago, IN, say high lead levels in the city’s water system are linked to another pressing problem: the need to upgrade infrastructure.

"We have a water infrastructure issue," said Greg Crowley, the city's utilities director, per the Chicago Tribune.

It is not going to be a cheap problem for East Chicago to solve. “Mayor Anthony Copeland said replacing the water infrastructure for roughly half a block can cost between $500,000 to $1 million,” the report said.

Copeland also provided an update on the city’s lead problem:

The most recent water testing found roughly 8 parts per billion of lead, Crowley said, and the EPA's threshold is 15 parts per billion. Crowley said the city's water is piped in from Lake Michigan and treated at one of two facilities. He said the lead that's found in the water is coming from aging pipes, most likely in plumbing that comes off the main lines.

He also described the city’s game plan for addressing its lead issues:

He said that includes making sure children are tested for lead exposure; developing a cost-sharing program so homeowners can get water filters for their homes; and applying pressure to state and federal officials to give the city a disaster declaration and leverage money to help the city.

The city has also tied its lead problems to efforts to clean up its soil. “Crowley told residents that heavy machinery and soil excavation can knock loose lead in the city’s older service lines,” Lakeshore Public Media reported.

“The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency tested 45 homes in parts of the USS Lead Superfund site. Eighteen homes did have elevated levels. Crowley says testing conducted before the cleanup shows East Chicago as a whole is in compliance with safe drinking water standards,” the report continued.

East Chicago is hardly alone among Indiana cities in its need to upgrade infrastructure. A report released last month by the Indiana Finance Authority said the state’s immediate infrastructure costs are $2.3 billion.

The report described the water problem like this: “In the older cities in the Midwest, the need to repair aging systems is becoming a larger issue that can have public health consequences. At the same time that many utilities are being forced to upgrade their sewer systems to improve water quality, drinking water utilities are becoming aware of the scale of the funding gap that exists to maintain their own distribution and treatment assets.”

To read more about infrastructure problems visit Water Online’s Asset Management Solutions Center.