CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) - There was a renewed call to clean up and replace lead pipes in Chicago.
State Senator Ram Villivalam said his Northwest Side home was found to have lead in the paint and he has a lead water service. His son's blood was found to have lead levels five times higher than the acceptable level.
He and other advocates are calling on the city to speed up the plans to replace lead pipes.
“If it happened to our family, we don’t have all the resources, we have some, but we had enough to address the issue. But, there are so many more families that are working class, that are in communities that are low income or communities of color that just do not have the resources,” Villivalam said.
The state has given Chicago 50 years to replace its lead services. Villvalam said the city has the money to clean up the water, but it’s not doing it fast enough.
“Enough is enough, we need to make a change. This is a drastic challenge, and we need a drastic solution for the first step, I think, in emergency distribution of lead filters for drinking water to the most vulnerable populations in the city, and I think that is a good first step,” Villvalam added.
About 400,000 Chicago homes are connected to the water main using lead pipes.
Listen to WBBM Newsradio now on Audacy!
Sign up and follow WBBM Newsradio
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
Related
