Villa Park weighs who pays to remove private-side lead service lines

Public Works Director Mike Guerra told the Village of Villa Park Board of Trustees at a Committee of the Whole meeting March 10 that the village must update its service-line inventory annually and pursue removal of all lead and galvanized service lines within 10 years under the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's 2024 lead and copper rule.

Guerra said the village's initial inventory counts 7,154 service connections, of which 134 are confirmed lead or galvanized and 4,244 are marked “unknown” because the village lacks documentation. Using those figures, staff estimate roughly 330 private-side lead or galvanized services remain in the village and said the EPA will require sampling of 60 homes twice a year in Villa Park.

The inventory and 10-year removal deadline have renewed urgency over the village's existing policy, which has long left private-side piping — from the curb valve (also called a B-box or curb stop) into the house — the homeowner's responsibility. Guerra outlined three options for the board to consider: maintain the status quo but increase homeowner payment-plan terms; conduct village-initiated full replacements for affected private-side lines; or offer a village assistance program to share replacement costs with homeowners.

Guerra provided cost estimates tied to those…