ROCK ISLAND ARSENAL, Ill. — Illinois Senator Tammy Duckworth says the cost of new EPA lead pipe replacement requirements won't fall onto individual homeowners.
A recent landmark ruling by the EPA arid the Biden Administration requires all lead pipes in the country to be replaced oy the end of a 10 year deadline. That timeline will begin after a three year preparation period.
The country has known for decades about the dangers of lead water pipes. However, more than 9 million remain in use across the country. Illinois has at least 686,000 lead pipes still in use—the most of any state. Chicago has the most of any city in the country.
The EPA estimates the new requirement will prevent up to 900,000 infants from having low birth weight and avoid up to 1,500 premature deaths each year from heart disease.
Many QCA communities have already begun looking at their lead pipes, following a 2021 law by Governor J.B. Pritzker, which required full replacement of all lead water pipes in the state. Galesburg replaced its final lead service line in October 2023.
Some places, like Monmouth, are getting some additional funding help. In May, Monmouth announced it was receiving nearly $1 million in Community Project Funding to help replace its lead service lines.
Still, city leaders say there are an estimated 2,000 lead pipes in Monmouth that need replacing. Mayor Rod Davies said it'll cost about $10 million.
And Monmouth isn't alone. Cities like Moline and Rock Island have expressed concerns over how the replacements will be paid for.
"An estimated cost—you know, millions." Rock island Utilities Superintendent Jason Upton told News 8. "And we are just one city in Illinois."
Upton says Rock Island is trying to apply for funding, but so is every other municipality.
Another piece of the puzzle is actually finding all of those service lines. Augustana College students have spent days going door to-door in Rock Island and Port Byron to survey water lines.
In Kewanee, the EPA announced a partnership with the city to find and replace lead pipes.
Kewanee is one of 200 communities across the country that qualified for the 'Get the Lead Out' Initiative, which is assisting low-income cities with creating a lead service line inventory.
And on the lowa side, lowa American Water is starting to track down where the lead service lines even are. The company is now asking for the public's help, by taking an inventory survey.
So, what did Senator Duckworth have to say?
The senator visited the Quad Cities on October 10. News 8 met with her at an East Moline hotel before she headed out on two scheduled tours.
She said $5 billion in federal money, over five years, has been set aside for lead pipe replacement efforts. With the recent EPA announcement, the Biden Administration pledged an additional $2.6 billion.
"That's going to help replace all the lead service lines in Illinois. That's a nationwide amount, but we're going to get a significant portion of that," Duckworth said. "And a lot of that is also making sure that we leverage local money with federal grant dollars as well."
She pointed out the $7 billion, saying that money goes to the State Revolving Fund.
"So the homeowners do not have to spend a single penny of their own money to get that done," Duckworth said. "What needs to happen at the municipal level is the city needs to pass a city ordinance that says you opt out of the program, so the city will come in, using those federal dollars and go ahead and replace that those pipelines."
Duckworth said it will require ordinances from municipalities, committed to replacing the pipes.
"We have to get on the ball here in lllinois and get it done, because it is a plan to be a 100% federally funded program without a single penny of the local dollars," Duckworth said. "We need $10 billion over 10 years, and at this point we have $7.5 billion for the next five years."
She added that Illinois should get the first portion of that funding, saying the state should get 23% of the already-allocated funding.
Why was Senator Duckworth in the Quad Cities?
The senator had two planned stops on her trip. First, she visited the Rock Island Arsenal to check in on a program she helped fund back in 2021.
"I am so thrilled to be back and going to go visit, in particular, (the Arsenal's] 3D manufacturing and their additive manufacturing facility, because that is a real jewel for our nation, not just here in the Quad City area," Duckworth said.
In December 2021, she authored and successfully included several provisions in the 2022 Defense Bill. That included a $14 million investment in the Army's development of additive manufacturing capabilities.
The Arsenal is currently the Army's only foundry. In August 2024, staff in the Arsenal's Joint Manufacturing and Technology Center told News 8 they had seen a nearly 50% reduction in the nation's capability for castings and forging over the last ten years.
Duckworth was also interested in the Arsenal's occupancy rates.
"A few years back, I passed some language in the defense budget that said if you're a federal agency and you are looking to rent commercially, you need to go look at existing space within a federal facility, Duckworth said.
Based on the occupancy on the post, Duckworth is potentially looking to bring more tenants onto the island.
"What can we do to bring more federal agencies into this area?" Duckworth asked. "Because it's a great place to live. It's like the cost of living is perfect. The base is amazing. The community is welcoming. And so, we're trying to bring more federal agencies into this region."
What was her second stop?
After visiting the Arsenal, Senator Duckworth made a visit to FC Thomson Prison in Thomson, Illinois. She wanted to take a look at the conditions for both inmates and staff, and also met with union and administrative leaders.
"There have been some real issues with decisions that were made by the Bureau of Prisons in terms of salaries and funding and staffing there in order to keep the facility secure and safe for everybody, we need to make sure that they're staffing at adequate levels," Duckworth said.
Thomson has famously struggled with recruiting and retaining staff since its opening.
News 8 has reported on years of staffing issues, as well as claims of sexual assaults on staff, reports of nurses and cooks filling in as correctional officers, infighting between the prison's administration and union leadership, as well as the prison's abrupt downgrade from one of only six max-security prisons in the country, to a lower-level-security facility.
"They are severely understaffed and underpaid at a facility where they really perform amazing work to keep the community safe," Duckworth said.
Over the summer, the staff union at FC Thomson claim employees were exposed to drugs during cell searches, in at least three separate incidents. The prison was subsequently placed in lockdown.
Prison leadership has not confirmed or denied these allegations, saying it does not comment on active investigations.
Duckworth says staffing plays into that issue.
"If the drugs are being brought in, somehow there are obviously security lapses. And part of that is also the staffing level. So this is one of the reasons why I want to go and talk and say, 'Hey, what are we going to do,"' Duckworth said.
When asked if she would support turning Thomson back into a maximum-security facility, Duckworth said it would depend on if staffing levels could be improved.
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