DRINKING WATER WARNING

The Village of Bartlett found elevated levels of lead in drinking water in some homes/buildings that have lead services. The Village of Bartlett may also have tested your home or building. If they did, you should receive or may have already received these results. These results are specific to your home/building and may be different from the results taken in other locations. Lead can cause serious health problems, especially for pregnant women and young children. Please read this information closely to see what you can do to reduce lead in your drinking water.

What is an Action Level?

The lead action level is a measure of the effectiveness of the corrosion control treatment in water systems. The action level is not a standard for establishing a safe level of lead in a home. To check if corrosion control is working, EPA requires water systems to test for lead at the tap in certain homes, including those with lead service lines. Systems compare sample results from homes to EPA’s action level of 0.015 mg/L (15 ppb). If 10 percent of the samples from these homes have water concentrations that are greater than the action level, then the system must perform actions such as public education, adjusting treatment, and lead service line replacement.

What Happened?

Between April 2025 and June 2025, the village collected 60 samples and analyzed them for lead. The results of more than 10 percent of our samples exceeded the action level for lead.

The Village of Bartlett is focused on protecting the health of every household in our community; however, lead from service lines and lead plumbing and fixtures can dissolve or break off into water and end up at the faucet. There is no lead in the water. We found that lead service lines and/or lead solder used in homes are potential sources of lead in your drinking water. This does not mean that every property that receives drinking water from The Village of Bartlett has NO lead in the drinking water, any elevated levels of lead is from service lines within the home. It does mean that you should understand how to reduce your exposure to lead through water. Keep in mind that drinking water is not the only potential source of lead exposure, since lead can be found in air, soil, and paint. For more information on all sources of lead, visit https://www.epa.gov/lead.

Health Effects of Lead

*Exposure to lead in drinking water can cause serious health effects in all age groups. Infants and children can have decreases in IQ and attention span. Lead exposure can lead to new learning and behavior problems or exacerbate existing learning and behavior problems. The children of women who are exposed to lead before or during pregnancy can have increased risk of these adverse health effects. Adults can have increased risks of heart disease, high blood pressure, kidney, or nervous system problems.*

Steps You Can Take to Reduce Your Exposure to Lead in Your Water

Below are recommended actions that you may take, separately or in combination, if you are concerned about lead in your drinking water. The list also includes where you may find more information and is not intended to be a complete list or to imply that all actions equally reduce lead from drinking water.

• Use your filter properly. Using a filter can reduce lead in drinking water. If you use a filter, it should be certified to remove lead. Read any directions provided with the filter to learn how to properly install, maintain, and use your cartridge and when to replace it. Using the cartridge after it has expired can make it less effective at removing lead. Do not run hot water through the filter. For more information on facts and advice on home water filtration systems, visit EPA’s website at https://www.epa.gov/ground-water-and-drinking-water/home-drinking-water-filtration-fact-sheet and EPA’s Consumer Tool forIdentifying Drinking Water Filters Certified to Reduce Lead.
• Clean your aerator. Regularly remove and clean your faucet’s screen (also known as an aerator). Sediment, debris, and lead particles can collect in your aerator. If lead particles are caught in the aerator, lead can get into your water.
• Use cold water. Do not use hot water from the tap for drinking, cooking, or making baby formula as lead dissolves more easily into hot water. Boiling water does not remove lead from water.
• Run your water. The more time water has been sitting in your home’s pipes, the more lead it may contain. Before drinking, flush your home’s pipes by running the tap, taking a shower, doing laundry, or doing a load of dishes. The amount of time to run the water will depend on whether your home has a lead service line or not, as well as the length and diameter of the service line and the amount of plumbing in your home. Residents may contact us at 630-837-0811 for recommendations about flushing times in their community.
• Learn what your service line material is. Contact us at 630-837-0811 or a licensed plumber to determine if the pipe that connects your home to the water main (called a service line) is made from lead, galvanized, or other materials. To find out about what we are doing to replace lead service lines, please visit the Water Inventory page on this website or contact Bartlett Public Works at 630-837-0811. Protect Your Tap: A quick check for lead is EPA’s online step by step guide to learn how to find lead pipes in your home.
• Learn about construction in your neighborhood. Contact Bartlett Public Works at 630-837-0811 to find out about any construction or maintenance work that could disturb your service line. Construction may cause more lead to be released from a lead service line if present.
• Have your water tested. Contact Bartlett Public Works at 630-837-0811 to have your water tested and to learn more about the lead levels in your drinking water.

Get Your Child Tested to Determine Lead Levels in His or Her Blood

A family doctor or pediatrician can perform a blood test for lead and provide information about the health effects of lead. State, city, or county departments of health can also provide information about how you can have your child's blood tested for lead. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that public health actions be initiated when the level of lead in a child’s blood is 3.5 micrograms per deciliter (µg/dL) or more. For more information and links to CDC’s website, please visit https://www.epa.gov/ground-water-and-drinking-water/basic-information-about-lead-drinking-water.

Purchase a Lead Test Kit

Residents who would like to test their water can order a home lead test kit from Suburban Laboratories, the lab the village works with to test its water supply. Their is a $100 charge for the Lead in Homes test kit, which includes everything you need to perform your own test. 

Suburban Laboratories - Drinkingwaterlabs.com

 What is Being Done?

The actions that the Village of Bartlett is taking follw state lead and copper regulations listed below.

In addition to the information mentioned above that Bartlett will provide to residents at locations sampled, more information is available on the Water Inventory page on this website.

The Village of Bartlett purchases water from DuPage Water Commission, which purchases it from the City of Chicago. The city balances water chemistry at the treatment plant to minimize pipe and plumbing components from corroding and leading to the possibility of lead dissolving into water. This process is known as corrosion control. Bartlett is completing an assessment of the corrosion control treatment currently used by the village water system in the coming fiscal year.

The village is removing the lead service lines, which is a common source of lead in drinking water. Bartlett hopes to have these all completed within 10 years maximum.

 The village also plans to take the following steps:

• PW is conducting additional lead and/or water quality monitoring of its water system supply.
• PW is increasing its lead monitoring to determine the extent of the situation.
• The village is making pitcher filters available to customers that have a known lead service and exceeded the lead limit.

For more information, please contact Blake Grenlie, Water Supervisor at 630-837-0811 or 1150 Bittersweet Drive, Bartlett IL 60103. General guidelines on ways to lessen the risk from lead in drinking water are available from EPA’s website https://www.epa.gov/ground-water-and-drinking-water/basic-information-about-lead-drinking-water.

This notice is being presented to you by the Village of Bartlett. State Public Water System (PWS) ID: 031420.

Date distributed: 7/15/2025.