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Oak Lawn outlines five‑year lead service line replacement program; first‑year work to begin after IEPA loan
Summary
Village staff and contractor T.Y. Lynn outlined a five‑year program to replace about 2,300 lead and galvanized service lines citywide. The village expects an IEPA loan confirmation by July 1 and plans to replace roughly 400–420 lines in the first year, with residents notified at least 45 days before work on their property.
T.Y. Lynn project manager Katie Richardson told trustees on April 22 that the Village of Oak Lawn has an estimated 2,300 lead service lines that must be replaced under Illinois EPA and U.S. EPA requirements and that the village is preparing a five‑year replacement program to address the lines.
Richardson said the village will seek an IEPA loan and expects confirmation for the first‑year funding on July 1; construction for year one is anticipated to begin in August after the contractor selection is complete. “We are going to try and replace 417 lead service lines this year,” Richardson said, adding that actual counts may vary with contractor bids and field conditions.
Program details: Richardson said the village’s inventory identified approximately 2,300 lines needing replacement out of about 16,000 service connections (roughly 16 percent). The plan calls for about 400 replacements per year for four years, with roughly 550 remaining to be done in the fifth year. Prioritization for year one will focus on higher‑risk locations such as preschools, medical facilities and care facilities.
Resident impacts and outreach: Richardson said the team will notify affected homeowners by mail 45 days before anticipated construction, follow up with a door hanger 15 days later, and conduct knock‑and‑talk outreach to obtain right‑of‑entry agreements. She said individual replacements typically take about four to eight hours of water service outage and that the contractor will include property restoration standards for lawns and basic landscaping; ornate gardens may require individual arrangements.
On refusal and waivers: Richardson said homeowners can refuse right‑of‑entry now and sign a waiver; she added that because the replacement mandate is an EPA/IEPA requirement, the village may pursue different approaches for properties that refuse, including engaging on ownership change or other methods, but she did not specify a final enforcement process.
Health and sampling: The program will include post‑replacement water sampling and distribution of filters if needed, Richardson said. She noted lead exposure is cumulative and poses higher risks to infants, small children, pregnant people and immunocompromised residents; residents with health concerns were urged to consult their physicians.
Next steps: secure the IEPA loan (expected July 1), issue an RFP and select a contractor, begin first‑year construction in August, and post maps and schedules on the village website as blocks are scheduled. Trustees asked several operational questions about notifications, business coverage and landscape restoration; Richardson said restoration requirements will be part of the contractor scope and additional negotiations may occur for complex landscaping.
Attribution: direct quotes and program numbers are attributed to Katie Richardson, project manager for T.Y. Lynn.
