City to forgive remaining balances on lead service line replacement loans

Evanston Roundtable
Adina Keeling

Read the full article.

A few dozen Evanston residents who took out interest-free city loans to get rid of lead pipes carrying water to their homes are in luck. 

The Lead Service Replacement Loan Program, which started in 2017, offered assistance to residents with lead service lines that lived in areas impacted by the city’s water main improvement projects. 

During water main improvement projects, the city automatically replaced lead service lines under public property, but residents were expected to cover the cost of replacing service lines under their own property. The loan program made it easier for homeowners to replace pipes made of the toxic metal, and since its start, 39 residents have taken out a loan.