Coal City receives $2.6 million in state funding to replace lead service lines

Illinois EPA Interim Director James Jennings announced Thursday that $43,159,886 in funding is being provided to 17 communities to replace lead service lines, one of which was Coal City.

Coal City received $2,671,206 in principal forgiveness funding, which means none of it will have to be paid back.

“We know lead service lines are a major obstacle for community water supplies throughout Illinois,” Jennings said. “Illinois EPA is committed to utilizing our State Revolving Fund to maximize funding available to communities to remove the threat of lead in drinking water, while prioritizing disadvantaged communities that would have no other resources to take on this challenge.”

Lead is a toxic metal that can accumulate in the body over time, and it can enter drinking water when corrosion of pipes or fixtures occurs. Service lines are small pipes that carry drinking water from water mains into homes, and many homes built prior to 1990 may have lead service lines or lead containing plumbing fixtures or faucets.

For more information on lead in the home, visit epa.illinois.gov/general-information/in-your-home/resources-on-lead.html.