Homewood trustees and residents heard an update at the Tuesday, April 22, village board meeting on the water rate study being conducted by Burns and McDonnell Engineering. Rate increases are almost certainly going to be suggested as part of the study’s conclusions, and the lead line replacement project is the most significant cause, with an estimated price tag of $76.6 million over 10 years.
Since the Illinois Lead Service Line Replacement and Notification Act went into effect Jan. 1, 2022, communities have been planning how to accomplish the task of replacing all lead lines that connect water mains to homes. On March 18, Homewood held a public hearing to inform residents of progress made and a look at local plans.
Homewood completed an inventory of lead service lines in 2024 and sent notices to residents whose homes have lead lines, according to Village Manager Napoleon Haney. Of the village’s 6,839 service lines, 3,763 have been identified as full or partial lead service lines. The material for about 600 lines has not been determined. Lead lines are most often found in homes built before 1986, so the project will affect older areas of the community the most.
Paying for replacing those lines will not only require rate increases on local water customers but help from state and federal funding sources. The village has applied for a $4 million, 0% interest loan from the state’s Public Water Supply Revolving Loan program. Haney said the village completed a prerequisite for the loan application by submitting its project plan to the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency, which determined the plan was technically sound and cost effective.
The village will have to reapply for loans every year, he said, so whether Homewood receives loans will depend on funding for the program by the state. There is a chance the village will have some of the principal forgiven, but the state considers need when offering principal forgiveness, and Homewood has relatively few areas that might qualify.
Paul Hurley, project manager with Burns and McDonnell, said the state usually sends out principal forgiveness notices in July.
Haney noted that even if the village receives the loans regularly, the funding won’t be enough to cover the cost of the project, so additional funding sources will have to be found.
Public Works Director Josh Burman said IEPA has made it clear the project has to be fair and not produce excessive burdens on municipalities, so he’s hopeful there will be adjustments to the timeline as the project gets going.
Homewood Mayor Rich Hofeld asked at the hearing what the next steps would be if the village is awarded a loan.
Burman said the first year’s work would focus on “all of our critical sites … like home health, home day cares, schools, senior facilities.”
After those are done, the priority will be given to residents in disadvantaged areas.
Hurley explained that the term is used by IEPA and is defined as those census tracts where the median household income falls below the state average.
Haney said few Homewood residents qualify as disadvantaged, and the same applies to the village, so getting loans and grants can be difficult.
One resident at the hearing asked what kind of assistance people could get if they weren’t sure whether their service line is made of lead. Burman advised residents to contact public works. A technician can visit the home and identify whether the service line is lead or not.
The project will replace lines from the water main to the home’s water meter, but it’s possible some homes could have lead lines or lead solder inside, too. The village cannot replace parts past the meter, but Haney said the village plans to help residents find the resources they need to address internal lead components, too.
He said the village would have a list of registered plumbers and of possible funding sources.
“We’re going to do everything we can to make this as painless as possible for our residents,” he said.
For now, residents don’t need to do nothing, Haney said. The village will develop a system for notifying residents in advance when their home is soon to have its line replaced and will provide information then about what residents can expect, he said.
A resident asked whether there would be any assistance for property owners who choose to have lead lines replaced themselves. The cost can be between $10,000 and $15,000.
Haney said the village is seeking any funding source that could help but did not indicate any existing programs that could help individual property owners.