A $3.5 million loan from the state will allow Naperville to remove its remaining lead service lines by 2027, two years ahead of schedule.

If successful, Naperville will be among the first communities in Illinois to complete the state and federal mandates governing the removal of such pipes, according to the city’s director of water and wastewater.

“We were pretty excited,” Director Darrell Blenniss said about the loan. “We’re ready to go. We have our inventory completed. We know where all these lines are, and we’re ready to get moving.”

Last October, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced that drinking water systems must have all lead service lines going into residential properties replaced by 2037. Those lines have the potential to release harmful particles into water used for drinking and cooking.

Prior to the federal mandate, Illinois passed its own regulations in 2021 for lead service line removal, with deadlines dictated by how many lines need to be removed in a community. For municipalities with less than 1,200 lead lines, which includes Naperville, the deadline was 2042.

Other municipalities in northern Illinois have successfully removed all known lead service lines far ahead of the state and federal mandates, including the far northwest suburbs of Algonquin and Huntley.

Prior to securing the loan, the city was on track to remove all of its lead service lines by 2029. Less than 1% of Naperville’s water lines are known to be made of lead. Based on recent estimates, Blenniss said it will cost the city just under $3.5 million the remove the remaining lines.

As part of its replacement program, the city is committed to removing the lead lines that transport water from the city-owned water main to a hookup at the water meter going into a house. Homeowners do not have to pay for the work, but have the option of hiring someone to do it ahead of the city schedule and then obtaining a rebate from the city for the cost.

The 30-year loan to cover the cost of the work is provided through the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency’s Public Water Supply Loan Program, which provides low-rate loans and other forms of assistance for drinking water projects, according to their website.

Naperville initially submitted an application for the loan program in 2023 but ultimately chose to pass on it after being approved because the loan came with an interest charge, Blennis said.

“We knew that they were looking to provide incentives in the future for lead service lines so we took a pass in 2023,” he said. “We resubmitted our application and it was accepted and now we’re getting a loan without any interest charged to us.”

Property owners must sign an access agreement with the city so that contractors can go on their property to do the replacement work. So far, about 85% of property owners with affected lines have signed agreements, said Blenniss, who is confident the remaining contracts will be approved.

If a property owner declines access or does not respond, the city will replace as much as they can on public property and notify the state that the lead line remains because they were unable to obtain an access agreement.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

cstein@chicagotribune.com

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/10/10/naperville-lead-service-line-replacement-loan/