Chicago's dirty secret: lead in municipal drinking water remains the greatest threat in communities of color


Chicago’s Equity Lead Service Line Replacement Program is designed to help homeowners replace outdated water lines that can lead to contaminated drinking water, but only 280 lines have been replaced in the past two years in contrast to the city’s goal of 650. Homeowners report that the application process is inaccessible and inefficient, and an analysis by The Guardian found that roughly 10 percent of tests across four zip codes had contamination levels above the EPA’s guideline for taking action.

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