La Grange Residents To Pick Up Tab For Lead Pipes

LA GRANGE, IL – La Grange enacted a policy on Monday that would require residents with lead pipes to pay for their portion of the lines.

That is expected to cost each resident thousands of dollars.

The village says two-thirds of the town's pipes are lead, totaling about 3,400.

The number is far higher than La Grange's neighbors. For instance, Hinsdale and Clarendon Hills have identified 300 and 160 lead pipes, respectively.

Under state and federal regulations, towns are supposed to complete their lead work by 2037.

But village officials said towns with greater challenges, such as La Grange, can get an extended 17-year timeline. They expect to get approval for a later deadline next year.

The village's portion is expected to cost $68 million. Under its plan approved Monday, the village would spend $4 million a year.

A resident is responsible for the part of the pipe from the valve, known as the B-box, to the home. The village must pay for the rest.

Some towns are paying for part or all of the residents' portion, but not in La Grange.

Under questioning from resident John Pluto, Village President Mark Kuchler acknowledged that the state rejected La Grange for $4 million in financing.

Pluto said, "You have to keep trying."

"We do, and we will," Kuchler said.

Pluto noted that the village's consultant presented a recommended lead pipe plan for La Grange more than a year ago. But he said the village has no plan to pay for it.

"Why are we dragging our feet on this project?" he said. "This is unacceptable. A year and two months, and now we're talking about financing."

He continued, "We're diddling around with this. You should have had your money in the bank and on the table for this project. All the other towns around here are way ahead of this game."

Before voting for the plan, Trustee Beth Augustine said the Village Board had a "complicated" discussion about the issue at a previous meeting. But she said she was happy with the staff's latest plan.

"This is really well-organized and laid out," she said. "This is really clarifying."

Lead pipes become dangerous health-wise for users when they corrode. In the mid-1980s, the government banned the installation of such lines.