Residential Waterline Survey

Several months ago the City mailed a Residential Waterline Survey in accordance with an IEPA mandate (see below). We have received some returns but are far from the number of residential services we have throughout the City. We will be mailing the survey again in an effort to collect as much information as possible. For your convenience, you can click on this link to submit the survey online Residiential Waterline Survey. If you do not know what type of pipes you have, this link provides steps to help with pipe identification, Pipe Identification Procedures. If you are still unsure or unable to identify the type of pipe, please mark Unknown and we will be in contact to set a time for our staff to come out to assist you in identifying what type. We appreciate your cooperation!

In January 2017, the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency amended the Illinois Environmental Protection Act to include a mandate for operators of community water systems in the State of Illinois to create a comprehensive service line inventory.  This inventory must account for the total number of service lines in the system and include the material composition of each line.  The city is required to submit this inventory to the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency no later than April 15, 2023.

As part of the material survey, the city is required to maintain a record of persons refusing to grant access to the interior of a building for purposes of identifying the material of the water service line.  The city is also required to notify building owners and occupants of the existence of lead service lines within 15 days of discovery.

Separate from the material survey, the City of Salem is required to submit an initial written replacement plan to the IEPA no later than April 15, 2024, which must be resubmitted annually until a final plan is submitted for approval no later than April 15, 2027.  Depending on the number of lead service lines identified within the system, the city will have approximately 15 years to replace any lead service lines found.

In an effort to expedite the inventory process, the City of Salem encourages residents to fill out the Lead and Copper Service Line Survey and return it to City Hall at your earliest convenience.  This survey may also be completed clicking on the following link Residential Water Line Survey.  For those residents who are unsure of the material composition of their home’s service line, the attached instructions will help identify key characteristics of lead, copper, and galvanized service lines.

Should you have any questions please feel free to contact me at (618) 548-2222 ext. 27 or the Salem Water Treatment Plant at (618) 548-7788 or publicworks@salemil.us.

Annette Sola
Public Works Director