A new report urges Illinois to accelerate replacement of nearly 1.5 million lead service lines, estimating it could create up to 90,000 jobs over a decade. The plan calls for prioritizing high-exposure areas and diversifying the workforce amid a multi-billion-dollar funding gap. Advocates highlight the public health crisis posed by the toxic pipes.
Illinois faces a significant public health challenge with nearly 1.5 million service lines containing or suspected to contain lead, a neurotoxin associated with cognitive, reproductive, and cardiovascular issues. The state has the highest number of such pipes nationwide, including 667,000 confirmed and 820,000 suspected lines, with Chicago accounting for almost 30 percent. A recent report by groups including the Metropolitan Planning Council, Current, Elevate, and HIRE360 proposes turning this infrastructure backlog into an economic opportunity by generating tens of thousands of jobs through replacements. Justin Williams, a senior manager at the Metropolitan Planning Council, warned, “The longer we put off taking care of our water infrastructure, the more expensive it’s going to get, the more that we’re going to be looking at water rates increasing to deal with that, and the more people are going to be in the position where they’re not going to have access to safe and clean drinking water.” Replacement costs range from $4,000 to $13,000 per line statewide and over $30,000 in Chicago, totaling $6 billion to $10 billion for the state. Federal funding from the bipartisan infrastructure law provides about $1 billion to Illinois, part of a $15 billion national allocation, but falls short of needs. The report projects 2,000 direct and 9,000 indirect jobs from current funds, rising to 35,000 direct and 55,000 indirect—or 90,000 total—with full state support over ten years. Jay Rowell of HIRE360 noted, “It’s a bit of a chicken and egg: Unless you know how much money is going to be allocated to this — how many opportunities are coming down the pipe — they’re not going to add additional people to apprenticeship programs.” It also pushes for diversity, as Chicago's apprentices are only 3.8 percent women and 10 percent Black, by mandating equity in contracts. Williams added, “We are the envy of the world in terms of our access to fresh drinking water. We need to be really thoughtful stewards of that.”
