The City has put extensive effort into creating an up to date service line inventory. Using historic records, the City has been able to identify the publicly owned portion of almost every water service on its distribution system. You can see this inventory and search for your service on our Lead Water Service Information page.

Using information supplied by consumers and visual inspections, the City is working to add information about the privately owned portion of water services as well. You can help on this endeavor by filling out the Water Line Material Survey.

The City has submitted a Lead Service Line Replacement Plant to the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency. It calls for at least 5% of lead services to be replaced each year starting in 2027. You can see a copy of the plan by clicking here: Lead Service Line Replacement Plan

You can also track the progress using the dashboard located on the Lead Water Service Information Page.

The City is dedicated to taking proactive steps to increase water quality awareness and reduce the potential for lead in drinking water.

As part of this commitment, the City provides notice of all water maintenance or replacement work being performed near homes that have service lines that are made of lead.  The City provides proactive information, education and tips along with point of use filters to ensure water quality is maintained.

The City is also sending notification letters to residents who either have a lead service line or whose service line is an unknown material.  In the City of Quincy lead service lines were routinely used through the 1940s.  Homes built after 1950 are unlikely to receive their water through lead service lines.

• Run your water to flush out lead. Flushing the water from the pipes for a few minutes before using it should clear the lead from your household plumbing to the kitchen tap.
  
  
• Use cold water for drinking, cooking, and preparing baby formula.Do not cook with or drink water from the hot water tap; lead dissolves more easily into hot water. Do not use water from the hot water tap to make baby formula.
  
  
• Clean and remove any debris from faucet aerators on a regular basis.
  
  
• Do not boil water to remove lead. Boiling water will not reduce lead.
  
  
• Purchase lead-free faucets and plumbing components. Remove all lead plumbing components that may be present in your home.

The City of Quincy’s water supply has consistently tested below acceptable lead levels. Detectible levels of lead are not present in Quincy’s drinking water leaving the treatment facility.  Currently, sampling and testing for lead occurs every three years with the Water Department collecting 30 samples throughout the community for the presence of lead.  The last round of sampling was done in 2023 and no samples reported the presence of lead above the action level of 15 ug/L.

Since you cannot see, taste or smell lead dissolved in water, testing is a good way of telling whether lead is present. While the City does not perform lead testing in-house, we provide below a list of nearby laboratories certified to perform the testing. You can also find an accredited laboratory near you on the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency’s website. Laboratories will send you bottles for sample collection. Please note that the City is not affiliated with these laboratories, and they will charge you a fee for testing services. The certified labs that are located closest to Quincy are:

• Pace Analytical Services, Peoria, IL, (800)752-6651
• Teklab, Collinsville, IL, (618) 344-1004

• CDC: Health Effects of Lead Exposure
• EPA: Basic Information About Lead in Drinking Water
• IDPH: Lead Poisoning Prevention