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 options. He said private-side replacements historically range from about $6,000 to $10,000 per service, depending largely on interior restoration needs where the line enters the home. Replacing an estimated 330 private-side services at those prices would cost the village roughly $2 million to $3 million if the village were to pay the full private-side cost. For the ongoing Jackson-area project, staff estimated 28 private-side replacements at about $10,000 each, or roughly $280,000 to $300,000.

Guerra presented two assistance-program scenarios based on the village's sanitary-assistance approach: 50% participation up to $3,500 would cost the village about $1,150,000 in total; matching Lombard's model at 75% participation up to $5,000 would cost about $1,650,000. He also said the village already allows payment plans, historically up to 24 months at 0% interest, and suggested extending that to 36 months for this work if the board maintains the homeowner-pay model.

Trustees asked for more detail about likely locations, costs and funding sources. Trustee Kumar asked whether the $2 million to $3 million estimate covered the entire village or just the Jackson area; Guerra confirmed it was for the villagewide private-side estimate and said the Jackson-area cost for private-side work is roughly $280,000 to $300,000.

Trustee Cordova and others asked whether residents could request inspections or testing to move unknown lines into the confirmed category. Guerra said residents selected for EPA sampling may schedule an appointment and village staff can collect samples for them; he also said meter replacement and other scheduled work are opportunities to document private-side materials. The EPA now requires 5-liter samples taken at household faucets (keeping the first and last liters), Guerra said, and the EPA — not the village — selected the households for sampling from the village's list of known or suspected service types.

Trustee Corkery said he favored exploring the village-funded option further, calling full replacement “a number one infrastructure priority” even though it is expensive. Mayor Holland urged perspective on rate impacts, noting the village's annual water revenues are about $5 million; he said an immediate $2.5 million program would equate to a roughly 50% rate increase if done in a single year but that cost spread over 10 years would be smaller.

Guerra also described the waiver process for homeowners who decline replacement when the public side is replaced: the homeowner signs a form acknowledging the private-side lead and the village must report such waivers to the Illinois Department of Public Health. He said the village will document and maintain inventory updates as required and continue to seek grants and low-interest loans, including from the state revolving loan fund, but awarded grants are competitive.

Public commenters urged attention to grants, testing resources and disclosure. Bob Wagner, representing the Environmental Concerns Commission, recommended pursuing federal and state grants and low-interest loans, publicizing local testing laboratories and creating a village web page and “how to” tutorial to reduce the number of unknown service materials. Resident Joe Amori asked whether the EPA requirement is federal or state-enforced; Guerra answered that Illinois EPA is the state’s delegated authority for federal programs and that municipal interactions generally go through Illinois EPA.

Trustees did not vote on a formal policy at the meeting. Instead, staff were asked to return with more detailed numbers and scenarios showing how each option would affect the village's budget and water rates, and to report back with potential funding sources, grant opportunities and the estimated impact on household water bills. The board took a procedural voice vote at the meeting’s close to end the Committee of the Whole session; no policy decision was made.