Lockport council and staff outline causes of high water bills, promise targeted testing and follow-up

City of Lockport officials and water staff spent the bulk of a council meeting responding to complaints about high water bills and water quality, describing a “perfect storm” of factors behind the recent spike and committing to targeted testing and follow-up with affected residents.

The council’s mayor and water staff said the higher bills reflect a planned, multi-year rate increase to fund a roughly $60 million wastewater treatment plant replacement, seasonal higher household use in January and an extra billing week that pushed balances higher for many customers. Mayor Steve (mayor) summarized the immediate cause: "You had the perfect storm of the new rate, the higher usage that tends to come in that month and that extra week."

The city framed the billing spike within a longer infrastructure program. Staff described a 10-plus year capital improvement plan (CIP) that has replaced old water mains and repaired or rebuilt wells, and said the city has spent roughly $181 million on infrastructure improvements to date, with about half of that on water, sewer and storm work. City staff said those projects were bundled to save money and to coordinate road reconstruction and pipe replacement.

Why it matters: the CIP work and well upgrades are intended to improve water flow and reduce sediment and discoloration residents have reported. City staff said residents on dead-end mains or older interior house plumbing can still see discoloration until mains and private lines are replaced. Scott (water department staff) said the city has actively replaced unsafe service pipes to homes and reported, "We've changed about a 136 [lead service lines]. There's still, like, 45 left."

Staff described the new deep well at 150 First Street as a long-running project whose pump only recently began working consistently; the city plans to blend the deeper, lower-hardness water into the system to improve quality citywide. The mayor said city crews also created circulation loops so cleaner water can move through the system rather than stagnate in dead ends.

Residents gave specific examples of household damage and health worries. Keith Seper described mineral buildup that he said damaged appliances and clogged basement ejector/sump systems after heavy use. Vicky Boesen reported total dissolved solids (TDS) meter readings in the 500–600 range at her tap and said she was “adamantly against Illinois American” as an alternative supplier. Mary (resident) asked the city to pursue EPA-level testing after she said she and a family member experienced more frequent seizures since 2020; she asked for a formal investigation and said she would pay for testing if necessary.

City officials responded with practical steps and limits on authority: the water department will come to a home at no charge to test and diagnose leaks or meter problems; the city will collect sample taps for more comprehensive lab testing when warranted; and staff emphasized that some issues — such as mineral-rich groundwater hardness and customers’ interior plumbing or appliance quality — are private household matters, though the city can advise and document findings. "Call the water department. That's what they're there for," the mayor said.

On lead service lines and testing, staff reiterated that the city has a proactive replacement program paid from local budgets rather than waiting for federal grant cycles. The mayor and Scott said the city aims to finish the remaining lead-service replacements in the coming years and will continue to offer household visits to diagnose individual problems.

On the question of switching to Lake Michigan water or a private supplier, council members warned of very large upfront capital costs and long-term uncertainties. City staff explained the city retains an allotment of lake water and reviewed prior proposals: buying into regional lake-water pipelines would have required a multi‑million-dollar share plus tens of millions more for water towers, distribution connections and long blending processes. The mayor said those costs would likely raise bills well above current levels and could create a single-point dependency that the city wanted to avoid.

Next steps: city staff offered to collect comparative samples from affected homes (outside spigot and, with permission, an indoor tap) and send them to a lab where appropriate; they also invited residents to call the water department to schedule free inspections. Councilmembers asked staff to prioritize laboratory testing for homes where health or repeated appliance damage is reported and to return to council with findings and any policy recommendations.

Residents and council members closed the discussion by asking for clearer public guidance on temporary household protections (reverse osmosis, softeners, or other filtration) and for the city to coordinate potential group buys or contractor lists to help homeowners replace interior service lines.

Ending The council did not announce an immediate systemwide change; instead staff reiterated a mix of near-term, diagnostic work (free inspections and targeted lab tests) and continuing long-term infrastructure investment to reduce future water-quality and billing problems.