The Village of Brookfield is applying for four low-interest loans from the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency to replace lead water pipes and improve its watermain system.

The village is seeking a total of $20 million in loan proceeds for two projects in 2024 and two projects in 2025, according to Doug Cooper, the village’s finance director. 

The projects are part of the village’s ongoing efforts to upgrade its aging water infrastructure and comply with federal regulations to reduce lead exposure in drinking water.

“It’s an older system and you need to maintain the system,” Cooper said. “If you don’t maintain the system you can run into some problems in the future, so we’re trying to be proactive by maintaining our water systems by doing a water main replacement program.”

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, lead is a toxic metal that can cause irreversible and lifelong health effects, especially in children. Lead can leach from service lines, solder and fixtures into tap water and become a significant source of lead exposure.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency finalized a new law in 2020 that requires water systems to test for lead in drinking water in elementary schools and child care facilities, and to replace all lead service lines within 10 years, with limited exceptions. 

The new law also lowers the lead action level from 15 parts per billion to 10 parts per billion, and requires water systems to follow improved tap sampling procedures to better locate elevated levels of lead in drinking water.

There is no known lead problem in the village.

The village board approved an ordinance on Jan. 22 authorizing the village to enter into a loan agreement with the IEPA for these four loans. 

There is a required 30-day window from the adoption of the ordinance to allow for the filing of any petitions against the issuance.

The current rate for the loans is about 1.81%. The rate will be adjusted annually with each new program year, but is not expected to vary much.

According to Cooper, residents will not get a tax increase. The village raised the rate back in 2021 for the water main replacement funding and increased in 2022 for the lead line service replacement.

The village’s four loan applications are for the following projects:

A loan for the 2024 Watermain Replacement Program that involves replacing about 9,500 feet of watermain and associated valves, hydrants and fittings.

A loan for the 2024 Lead Service Line Replacement Program that involves replacing about 1,000 lead service lines and galvanized service lines that require replacement.

A loan for the 2025 Watermain Replacement Program that involves replacing about 9,500 feet of watermain and associated materials.

A loan for the 2025 Lead Service Line Replacement Project which involves replacing approximately 1,000 lead service lines and materials.

“We’ve got old mains and we’re trying to figure out how to finance the replacement of the water mains,” Cooper said. “The lead line service line replacement program is a program that we need to do because the state is mandating that we replace all led water service lines.”

The funding status for these projects is expected to be announced in the fall of 2024. 

If the funding for any of these projects is not approved, the applications will be kept on file with the IEPA and placed in line for future funding, officials said..

The village estimates that the annual debt service payments for the four loans will be approximately $1.1 million, which will be funded by the water fund.

The village has been working with the IEPA and its engineering consultant, Baxter & Woodman, to complete the pre-application process for the loans. The final loan application is expected to be submitted by the end of January 2024.