GALESBURG, Ill. (AP) — Illinois regulators are responding to the Flint, Michigan, water crisis by requiring water systems that exceed federal lead standards to act more quickly.
The state Environmental Protection Agency and Illinois Department of Public Health have set a 10-day deadline for water systems to notify customers of lead violations. Federal rules mandate a 30-day notification for homeowners
An Associated Press review of U.S. EPA data shows that 31 water systems in Illinois have exceeded the federal lead standard at least once since Jan. 1, 2013.
Galesburg is the largest of eight Illinois municipal systems in that group, along with five schools or child care centers and 18 private systems whose owners include a Rockford television station and a Chicago medical center.