(WBBM NEWSRADIO) — The Lightfoot Administration has outlined an ambitious and expensive plan to replace lead service lines to hundreds of thousands of Chicago homes.
The City of Chicago until 1986 required homes to have water pipes made of lead. But very high levels of the metal can cause brain damage and other problems.
Mayor Lightfoot on Thursday assured residents the city's drinking water is safe. But the lead pipes in some 380,000 homes must go, eventually, she said.
The total cost to replace them will be $8.5 billion. The first phase of such a project will be free replacement for hundreds of low-income families. A pilot program would help determine the costs and procedures for the rest of the city; other residents would be expected to share costs.
Chicago has more lead water service lines than any other city in the nation.
