THANK YOU.
>> THANKS.
>> ILLINOIS HAS MORE LEAD
SERVICE WATER PIPES THAN ANY
OTHER STATE IN THE NATION AND
CHICAGO MORE THAN ANY OTHER
CITY.
ILLINOIS MAY HAVE AS MUCH AS A
QUARTER OF ALL LEAD SERVICE
PIPES IN THE COUNTRY.
THAT IS ACCORDING TO SENATOR
TAMMY DUCKWORTH LEADING THE PUSH
FOR A BIPARTISAN INFRASTRUCTURE
BILL TO REBUILD THE NATION'S
WATER SYSTEMS.
HERE IS WHAT SHE HAD TO SAY
CITING DATA FROM A "CHICAGO
TRIBUNE" REPORT.
>> BETWEEN 2015-2020 TAP WATER
MEASUREMENTS IN DOZENS OF
ILLINOIS HOMES SHOWED HUNDREDS
AND THOUSANDS PARTS PER BILLION
OF LEAD THESE MATCH WHAT
RESEARCHERS FOUND DURING THE
SAME PERIOD IN FLINT, MICHIGAN.
AS WITH MANY PROBLEMS THIS LEAD
CONTAMINATION IS OFTEN THE WORST
IN BLACK AND BROWN COMMUNITIES.
>> AND JOINING US ARE ANGELA
TOVAR THE CITY OF CHICAGO'S
CHIEF SUSTAINABILITY OFFICER AND
JEREMY ORR SENIOR ATTORNEY AT
THE NATURAL RESOURCES DEFENSE
COUNCIL WHERE HE FOCUSES ON THE
SAFE WATER INITIATIVE.
WELCOME TO "CHICAGO TONIGHT."
JEREMY ORR, REMIND US WHY LEAD
SERVICE LINES FOR WATER CAN BE
SO DANGEROUS?
>> YES, SO AS WE'VE SEEN WE
POPPED UP ON THE SCENE FOLLOWING
THE FLINT WATER CRISIS THE LEAD
SERVICE LINES ARE ALL OVER THE
COUNTRY AND IN CHICAGO WHERE WE
HAVE THE MOST IN THE COUNTRY.
IT'S LIKE DRINKING THROUGH A
LEAD STRAW.
AND THE REASON LEAD IS SO
DANGEROUS IS BECAUSE IT IS A
NEUROTOXIN THAT CASES
IRREVERSIBLE HARM.
ONCE IT'S IN YOUR SYSTEM IT'S
HARD TO GET OUT AND ONCE THE
DAMAGE IS DONE, IT'S DONE.
>> AND ANGELA TOVAR THE CITY
STARTED YEARS AGO TO REPLACE
SOME OF THE LEAD SERVICE LINES.
WHERE IS THE CITY ON THAT EFFORT
RIGHT NOW?
>> SO, YOU ARE RIGHT THE CITY
HAS ALLOWED LEAD SERVICE LINES
UNTIL 1986 WHEN THE FEDERAL
GOVERNMENT PROHIBITED THE
PRACTICE.
AS A RESULT HERE IN CHICAGO WE
HAVE MANY SINGLE FAMILY AND
TWO-FLATS THAT HAVE LEAD SERVICE
LINES AND THE DEPARTMENT OF
WATER MANAGEMENT ESTIMATES THAT
THERE ARE 380,000 SERVICE LINES
IN THE CITY OF CHICAGO.
THIS ADMINISTRATION IS THE FIRST
ADMINISTRATION TO STEP UP TO
ADDRESS THE REMOVAL OF THE
LINES.
WE HAVE STARTED BY IDENTIFYING
SOME SOURCES OF FUNDING TO
TACKLE THE ISSUE.
AND WE HAVE TWO PROGRAMS THAT
WE'RE PUTTING FORTH AN EQUITY
LED SERVICE LINE REPLACEMENT
PROGRAM AND A HOMEOWNER
INITIATIVE PROGRAM.
THE FIRST WOULD BE AN INCOME
QUALIFIED PROGRAM WHERE
HOMEOWNERS WOULD BE ELIGIBLE TO
RECEIVE THE FULL LEAD SERVICE
LINE REPLACEMENT.
THROUGH GRANT FUNDING.
AND THE SECOND IS A PROGRAM THAT
ALLOWS HOMEOWNERS TO INITIATE
THE PROCESS ON THEIR OWN TO HAVE
THE FEES WAIVED TO ENABLE THE
PROCESS TO MOVE FORWARD.
>> AND JEREMY ORR FIRST ON THE
STATISTICS WE MENTIONED CHICAGO
NUMBER ONE LEAD SERVICE LINES
AMONG CITIES.
ILLINOIS NUMBER ONE AMONG
STATES.
HOW DID THEY GET THOSE
DISTINCTIONS?
>> IT GOES BACK TO WHAT ANGELA
MENTIONED THE IDEA THAT THE CITY
OF CHICAGO AND OTHER CITIES
AROUND THE STATE ALLOWED THE USE
OF LEAD SERVICE LINES THROUGH
1986 WHICH WE KNOW IS LONG AFTER
IT WAS RECOGNIZED THAT LEAD
SERVICE LINES WERE TOXIC AND
WERE CAUSING HARM.
WHEN YOU HAVE PLACES LIKE
ILLINOIS WHO WERE USING THE
PIPES FOR YEARS AFTER THEY WERE
FOUND TO BE DANGEROUS AND OTHER
CITIES AND STATES STOPPED USING
THEM YOU GET THE LINES
THROUGHOUT THE CITY AND STATE
MUCH MORE THAN OTHER PLACES WHO
STOPPED USING THEM SOONER.
>> AND SPEAKING OF PLACES THAT
HAVE AN ABUNDANCE OF THEM, BLACK
AND BROWN COMMUNITIES ARE TWICE
AS LIKELY TO LIVE IN AREAS WITH
LEAD SERVICE LINES.
WHY THE DISPARITIES?
>> I THINK WHEN I LOOK AT THAT
AS THE DATA HAS SHOWN 23409 JUST
IN CHICAGO BUT THE STATE OF
ILLINOIS, 95% OF THE LEAD
SERVICE LINES ARE LOCATED IN
BLACK, BROWN, INDIGENOUS AND
ASIAN COMMUNITIES.
WHEN WE LOOK AT ISSUES LIKE
THAT.
ISSUES OF ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE
WHEN WE KNOW THAT LOW INCOME
COMMUNITIES TYPICALLY BEAR THE
BRUNT OF ENVIRONMENTAL INJUSTICE
AND WHEN WE THINK HOW LONG THOSE
LEAD SERVICE LINES WERE USED
THREE 1986 THEY ARE STILL BEING
USED PREDOMINANTLY IN THOSE LOW
INCOME COMMUNITIES THAT NOW
WE'RE SEEING AS WE FIGURE OUT
WHERE THE PIPES ARE, WE'RE
SUBJECT TO THE USE OF LEAD AND
OTHER COMMUNITIES HAVE BEEN USE
R USING SAFER FORMS OF DRINKING
WATER.
>> AND MAYBE IT SHOWS MORE AFTER
LUCENT COMMUNITIES STARTED
REMOVING THOSE LINES EARLIER.
ANGELA TOVAR YOU ARE A CHICAGO
HOMEOWNER WHAT DO YOU KNOW WHAT
SERVICE LINES YOU HAVE?
AND HOW DO YOU QUALIFY FOR
HAVING THE REPLACEMENT PAID FOR?
>> ANYONE IN CHICAGO THAT WANTS
TO KNOW WHETHER OR NOT THEY HAVE
A LEAD SERVICE LINE CAN CALL
3-1-1 AND A KIT WILL BE SHIPPED
FOR YOU.
WE WILL TAKE WATER SAMPLES AND
THE DEPARTMENT OF WATER
MANAGEMENT WILL COME AND PICK
THOSE UP.
AND CERTIFIED LAB WILL PROCESS.
AND WILL PROVIDE YOU WITH YOUR
RESULTS.
YOU CAN THEN IF YOU ARE INCOME
QUALIFIED SO IF YOU HAVE A
HOUSEHOLD INCOME BELOW 80% OF
THE MEDIAN INCOME LEVEL WITHIN
CHICAGO IS $72,800 FOR A FAMILY
OF 4 AND IF YOU OWN YOUR HOME
AND IF YOU TEST, IF YOUR TEST
REVEALS THAT YOU HAVE A HIGHER
THRESHOLD, THE EPA ACTION LEVEL
OF 15 PARTS PER BILLION WE WILL
YOU ARE ELIGIBLE FOR THE
PROGRAM.
THE HOMEOWNER INITIATED PROGRAM
AGAIN IF A HOMEOWNER WANTS TO
HIRE A CONTRACTOR TO REMOVE
THEIR LEAD SERVICE LINES WE WILL
WAIVE THE PERMIT FEES AND THERE
IS INFORMATION ON BOTH OF THOSE
PROGRAMS ON OUR CITY'S WEBSITE
WE HAVE A DEDICATED WEBSITE FOR
INFORMATION AND THAT IS LEAD
SAFE CHICAGO.ORG.
>> AND JEREMY WE MENTIONED THE
STATE'S PROBLEMS ARE THERE
LEGISLATIVE EFFORTS AT THE STATE
LEVEL TO REPLACE ILLINOIS'
LINES?
AND WHAT ABOUT THE BILL THAT
DUCKWORTH SPONSORED IN THE
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT?
>> THERE IS ACTUALLY ILLINOIS
LEAD SERVICE LINE REPLACEMENT
NOTIFICATION ACT BILL IN THE
LEGISLATURE INTRODUCED THIS
SESSION IN THE HOUSE AND IN THE
SENATE.
WHAT IT DOES IT MANDATES THE
REPLACEMENT OF ALL LEAD SERVICE
LINES AND REQUIRES AN INVENTORY
AND BANS THE DANGEROUS PRACTICE
OF PARTIAL LEAD SERVICE LINE
REPLACEMENT WHEN YOU REPLACE THE
PUBLIC SIDE AND NOT THE PRIVATE
SIDE WHICH INCREASES LEAD IN
YOUR DRINKING WATER IN YOUR HOME
AND CREATES A FEE OR FUNDING
SOURCE OF THAT ALL UTILITIES CAN
SHARE THE COST OF REPLACING THE
LEAD SERVICE LINES AND IT ISN'T
JUST PLACED ON THE RATE PAYER.
AND AT THE FEDERAL LEVEL WITH
DUCKWORTH'S LEGISLATION SHE HAS
BEEN A CHAMPION ON DRINKING
WATER INFRASTRUCTURE IS
ALLOCATED SIGNIFICANTLY MORE
MONEY FOR LEAD SERVICE LINE
REPLACEMENT IN PARTICULAR.
IN VULNERABLE AND LOW INCOME
COMMUNITIES WHICH IS WHAT A
PLACE LIKE CHICAGO AND ILLINOIS
NEEDS BECAUSE THERE'S FUNDING
NEEDED TO GET THIS WORK DONE.
>> WE HAVE TO FOLLOW THESE