Galesburg officials are continuing to provide response to concerns over high lead levels found in some sampled water service lines and in environmental factors in a percentage of Knox County residents and homes.
City Manager Todd Thompson told City Council members last night that results on recent service line tests show a lower number of samples exceeded Environmental Protection Agency action level standards than in 2015.
“We’ve completed a round of testing for the 30 sites that had been previously part of the testing program, including the Illinois EPA came in and tested the six sites that had previously exceeded the action level,” Thompson says. “One of those six exceeded again and then one site from the remaining 24 exceeded, so we had two sites out of 30 which is a good improvement.”
Another round of 30 samples will be taken in the coming weeks.
Thompson also said the city recently tested main lines, reassuring citizens that no lead exists in the source.
Additionally, the city is looking into grant funds through the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity for both service line replacement and deteriorating housing–an issue found to be effecting high lead levels in individuals throughout Knox County.
