DeKALB – Director of the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency John J. Kim announced Jan. 17 that the City of Sycamore will receive $4,111,200 million in funds to repair its lead service lines.

The money comes from a State Revolving Fund from the IEPA, offering loans for drinking water improvements. Due to current loan regulations, the city will not be required to repay the $4 million, according to a news release.

“Sycamore is just one example of many communities that are identifying and replacing lead service lines with funding available through IEPA’s State Revolving Fund,” Kim said.

With this fund, the city is expected to replace about 365 lead service lines. This is the second project to replace lead service lines that IEPA has funded since 2022.

Service lines transport drinking water from water mains into residences. Many older houses constructed before 1990 can have plumbing fixtures made of the toxic metal, according to the IEPA.