Chicago has the highest number of lead water service lines in the nation, with an estimated 412,000 of about 491,000 lines at least partly made of lead or contaminated with the dangerous metal.
I think (don’t know) that this is mostly a home owner’s expense, legally and/or under real estate transfer documentation. So we again confront the problem of whether the City should pay for all of it or should only pay for those “less privileged.” Next we need to decide WHO is less privileged and whether race is a primary determining factor. Deciding who benefits raises another issue of “toxic empathy” — the cause of so many problems. Accordingly: more polarization; more naming of villains. I don’t take sides here. These are mainly insoluble problems. AT LEAST might we recognize that the… Read more »
Riverbender
9 months ago
Sun Times does it again alarming people with fake pictures. It provides a long article regarding lead pipes then accompanies the article with photos of non-lead galvanized pipes. How many people will read the article, look at the photos, compare to their own pipes and then become alarmed thinking they have lead pipes when they don’t? Typical Sun Times alarmism, haven’t we had enough?
Taxpayer
9 months ago
All these neighborhood’s were all whiite at one time.
These same lead service lines were being used back then.
Stop insinuating that these lead service lines were installed knowing
that one day black and brown people will be living there
Bob
9 months ago
Blame the Plumbers Union . They had it installed in the Chicago Building code ONLY LEAD SERVICES WERE ALLOWED TO BE INSTALLED. Even when copper pipes became available they fought it use initially.
David F
9 months ago
Lead in the water for decades, that explains all the brain dead democrats in Chicago.
A largely unasked question is becoming glaring: Is Illinois doing all it should to use artificial intelligence to make government cost less and work better? So far, the evidence says no.
I think (don’t know) that this is mostly a home owner’s expense, legally and/or under real estate transfer documentation. So we again confront the problem of whether the City should pay for all of it or should only pay for those “less privileged.” Next we need to decide WHO is less privileged and whether race is a primary determining factor. Deciding who benefits raises another issue of “toxic empathy” — the cause of so many problems. Accordingly: more polarization; more naming of villains. I don’t take sides here. These are mainly insoluble problems. AT LEAST might we recognize that the… Read more »
Sun Times does it again alarming people with fake pictures. It provides a long article regarding lead pipes then accompanies the article with photos of non-lead galvanized pipes. How many people will read the article, look at the photos, compare to their own pipes and then become alarmed thinking they have lead pipes when they don’t? Typical Sun Times alarmism, haven’t we had enough?
All these neighborhood’s were all whiite at one time.
These same lead service lines were being used back then.
Stop insinuating that these lead service lines were installed knowing
that one day black and brown people will be living there
Blame the Plumbers Union . They had it installed in the Chicago Building code ONLY LEAD SERVICES WERE ALLOWED TO BE INSTALLED. Even when copper pipes became available they fought it use initially.
Lead in the water for decades, that explains all the brain dead democrats in Chicago.