The Springfield City Council advanced an ordinance this week allowing City Water, Light and Power to request state funds for lead water service line replacements.
If awarded, the no-interest loan from the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency program would automatically be forgiven, effectively making it a grant.
City officials said the IEPA estimated the project cost at $4.5 million. The funding would allow the city to effectively double its replacement rate for the estimated 9,000 remaining lead service lines in the city.
Although CWLP began planning lead line removal before requirements were drafted, the utility has previously warned the City Council that at a rate of just 500 lines per year, it would not meet a 10-year state deadline to replace all lead lines.
