East Chicago is in the process of replacing lead service lines throughout the city, an action the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says is critical to ensure the safety of the drinking water.
The city recently began replacing lead service lines, which connect the main to residents' homes, in an effort to better protect people from potential lead exposure through the water. The city has said the process will take time, with a target of completing work at 400 homes by May.
"We ask for their (residents) continued patience and wish to note that this is an extraordinary undertaking by the city," said Steve Segura, East Chicago's multimedia director and spokesman, said in an email. "Normally, the service lines from our system to the home is not our responsibility, so this is really an extraordinary effort on the city's part."
The city is starting with service line replacement in the Superfund site, according to an email, and doing work elsewhere in the city following other construction projects. The city is replacing all the existing pipe, according to an email, and not simply lining the pipe.
Miguel Del Toral, of the EPA's groundwater and drinking water branch, said during an August forum that the only way to ensure the safety of the drinking water is to get the lead out of the pipes.
"The only real solution here if you want a permanent one is to remove the service lines," Del Toral said.
Until lead is removed from the water delivery system, Del Toral said, residents should use a filter to remove any potential contaminants.
Del Toral said putting a filter on the water tap is easy for peace of mind if people are worried about the presence of lead.
"You can protect your family quickly with a filter," Del Toral said. "This would still be my recommendation."
In April, the Indiana Department of Environmental Management began distributing water filters to residents as a part of a disaster declaration signed by Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb.
IDEM Commissioner Bruno Pigott said, during an August forum, the state is helping the city replace the service lines in zones 2 and 3 of the Superfund site, but it will be a slow-moving effort.
"We can't do this overnight," Pigott said.
The city has stressed that the water issue is not from the treatment plant but from lead in the service lines and piping in residents' home.
Mary Hollingsworth, the drinking water branch chief for IDEM, said during an August forum, the state did verification sampling for homes tested by the East Chicago Water Department.
"IDEM is confident in saying the water delivered by the system is safe," Hollingsworth said.
The testing showed that any lead that was finding its way into the water was coming from either the service lines or homes' internal plumbing, Hollingsworth said.
In East Chicago, the lead is not coming from the water source, which is Lake Michigan, the treatment plant or the mains, Del Toral said. The lead is coming from service lines and home plumbing, Del Toral said.
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"The best treatment in the world is not going to get you to zero lead," Del Toral said. "The only way to get to zero lead is removing all the sources."
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