| Population: | 30,0521 |
| Project length: | Expected to be six years, ending in 2022 |
| Project scope: | 3,000 lead service lines to be replaced |
| Cost: | $12 million, about $4,000 per line2 |
Galesburg, a town of about 30,000 at the western edge of Illinois, used state funding to support its LSL replacement program. The city expects to complete its six-year project to replace 3,000 lines by the end of 2022.3 The LSL replacement program follows findings by the EPA in 2015 that about 10% of all water samples collected exceeded federal lead standards.
Although the property owner is responsible for replacing their side of the service line, the Galesburg LSL replacement program has come at no cost to residents. Since 2017 the city has received several forgivable loans from the Illinois Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (SRF) totaling $12 million. This allowed Galesburg to pay for both the water system side and property owner side of LSL replacement.
By providing full funding to its residents, the City of Galesburg has taken a block-by-block approach to its LSL replacement program, targeting 500 lines per year and starting with their inventory of known lead lines. However, as with other cities that have not passed an ordinance mandating participation, the city is dependent on residents to identify whether there is a lead service line supplying water to their home and to provide consent and volunteer to participate in the program. Despite this, Galesburg officials have indicated that they have consistently met their target pace of LSL replacement each year.4
Notes
1 U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Galesburg city, Illinois.
2 John Pritchard: Continue to address lead water lines, housing stock (galesburg.com).
3 https://www.wqad.com/article/news/local/galesburg-lead-pipes-replaced-next-year/526-9d74802f-73ad-410b-9f53-b8d4aa46e16f.
4 Galesburg will finish replacing all lead water pipes by next year | wqad.com.
