GALESBURG, Illinois - Galesburg city leaders all agree that the city has an issue with lead in some of the water, they say they're taking the correct steps to fix it. "We've sent out notifications to every water customer regarding the situation, the water quality report, as well as the FAQ related to as what homeowners should do," said Todd Thompson, City Manager.
Thompson said that Galesburg isn't required to replace the lead lines since the lines are the property of the homeowner. "There's not lead in our water, but in your private service line, if there`s lead, you must take safety precaution," said Galesburg Mayor John Pritchard.
Almost all of the board members agreed, they are doing everything they can to work on this issue, "The cities response has been appropriate, responsible and most of all it`s been transparent, can we do better of course, we can always do better," said Jeremy Karlin, City Council Member.
According to the Illinois Department of Public Health, children tested for lead in Knox County in 2014 had levels 6 times the state average. The next step is another meeting between the Knox County Health Department and Galesburg City Leaders.