THE LOOP — Calling it a subject "as basic as the water we drink," Illinois' senior U.S. senator called Monday for mandatory lead testing of the country's water supply and more funding to address the problem.
In a news conference at Federal Center Plaza across from the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse, Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) called for "mandatory lead testing of pipes and water in cities — large and small — across the country." Calling the water crisis in Flint, Mich., "a wakeup call for America," Durbin added, "It's a problem in Chicago as well."
According to Durbin, almost 80 percent of Chicago homes are connected to the city water supply with lead pipes, and a 2012 study by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency found "several" Chicago homes with elevated lead levels where water mains had been replaced or a water meter installed. He added that the EPA had admitted that its current testing protocols were "likely to miss" elevated lead levels in drinking water.
The Department of Water Management insists it tests the water at several points in the system, adding that residents can have their home water tested as well by request.
Chicago treats its water with chemicals intended to seal lead pipes from within — a policy abandoned in Flint, resulting in widespread spikes in lead poisoning. Yet lead levels even in chemically treated water can rise after the supply has been shut off in a given area for a significant amount of time.
According to Durbin, the Chicago Department of Public Health has already agreed to extensive water testing "in communities with homes where children have experienced lead poisoning, particularly in the South and West Side."
"Protecting the health and safety of Chicago’s residents is our top priority," said Lauren Huffman, a spokeswoman for Mayor Rahm Emanuel. "Our Department of Water Management and Department of Public Health are working together to safeguard the health of Chicago’s children, and will be resuming a water-testing program that will add to DWM’s routine water testing as a proactive measure to protect the health and safety of Chicago’s children."
According to the Emanuel administration, that program is modeled on a similar initiative launched five years ago, when the Health Department added water testing to residences where children had been reported with high lead levels. At the time, water was ruled out as the cause in all those cases (usually blamed on lead paint).
The city maintains that Chicago water exceeds all quality standards observed by the state and federal EPA, as well as the drinking-water industry.
Durbin called the testing program "a good first step, but we need to do more" — although how much more the government was capable of was at issue.
Durbin called on the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to adopt the stricter lead standards held by the Centers for Disease Control, saying, "It's vital that our testing standards detect elevated levels of lead."
Yet he allowed that "replacing every old lead pipe is virtually impossible," even as he added, "My guess is the problem is going to be much greater than the resources available" to handle it.
"This moves from the street to our own personal responsibility pretty quickly," Durbin said, pointing to the lead pipes homes typically use to connect to the city water supply. "So we're all in this together."
Again, Durbin did not suggest the city water supply was at risk, but simply called for additional testing to determine the extent of the problem — if any.
"This is as basic as the water we drink each and every day," Durbin said.
"There's plenty of blame going around," he added. "When it comes to your child, what difference does it make?"
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