Great Lakes, IL
Lead water pipe replacement in Great Lakes
not published — the Navy's 2024 Annual Drinking Water Quality Report (IL#0975227) says nothing about lead service line replacement or who pays; its only service-line language is the standard EPA notice: "Lead in drinking water is primarily from materials and components associated with service lines and home plumbing. We cannot control the variety of materials used in plumbing components."
Great Lakes's program at a glance
Who supplies the water
Great Lakes is not an incorporated municipality — it is the Naval Station Great Lakes census-designated place (ZIP 60088). Water is supplied by the U.S. Navy's own system, "Great Lakes Naval Training Station" / Naval Station Great Lakes Water Plant (IEPA system IL0975227), surface water from Lake Michigan treated at the base's own plant, serving about 23,000 people through 1,140 service connections (all classified commercial/business in IEPA records). North Chicago's system (IL0971250) is listed only as an emergency backup interconnect. There is no village water department or private utility (Aqua/Illinois American) serving this area.
What the homeowner pays
not published (not applicable in the usual sense — housing on the installation is Navy/privatized military housing, not homeowner-owned service lines)
How to check your line
not published. The IEPA Drinking Water Watch page for IL0975227 contains no service line material data, and IEPA's lead service line information page offers no public statewide inventory portal — it directs residents to contact their water supply directly or IEPA at [email protected] / (217) 785-0561. For this system the published contacts are the base Water Supervisor (847) 688-2121 x137 or Utilities Director x130.
How to get into the program
not published — no replacement program exists per official pages; questions go to NAVFAC Public Works Department / Naval Station Great Lakes Water Plant, Water Supervisor (847) 688-2121 x137
Worth knowing
Official Navy CCR (reporting year 2023) states the system is "fully compliant with all State / Federal regulations governing the control of lead and copper"; lead 90th percentile at consumer taps was <1.0 ppb (action level 15 ppb), copper 0.26 ppm — well under action levels. The base remains under an Agreement on Consent with US EPA over aging treatment-plant infrastructure (a Nov 1, 2022 Notice of Violation for structural deterioration and low flow in the clearwell tank; new clearwell tanks are being designed) — this concerns the treatment plant, not lead service lines. CNIC also maintains a "Lead in Priority Area Sampling Program – NAVSTA Great Lakes" page (cnrma.cnic.navy.mil), but the page body could not be retrieved (site blocks automated access; archived copy contains only navigation). Because this is a federal DoD-owned water system, the Illinois municipal-style village cost-share programs do not apply here; the Illinois Lead Service Line Replacement and Notification Act inventory requirements are administered through IEPA, and no inventory data for IL0975227 is published on Drinking Water Watch.
Sources (Great Lakes official pages , checked Jul 2026): cnrma.cnic.navy.mil, water.epa.state.il.us, epa.illinois.gov — program terms change; always confirm current details with the municipality.
The Illinois picture
Illinois' Lead Service Line Replacement and Notification Act requires every community water supply to inventory its service lines and replace lead ones on a state-mandated schedule. Two practical consequences for homeowners: your municipality can tell you what your line is made of, and full replacement — not partial — is the standard when work happens. Many suburbs coordinate replacements with water-main projects, which is often when the cost-sharing is most generous.
Where we come in
Remodels are where lead lines get discovered — kitchen and bath projects expose the plumbing, and permit inspections check service-line material against the municipal inventory. When that happens on a GS project in Great Lakes, we flag it early, point you at the program above before anyone spends your money, run the replacement through our Illinois-licensed plumbing and excavation partners, and restore everything the dig touched.
GS Construction & Remodeling is a licensed general contractor, not a municipal agency. Program details above summarize official municipal sources and change over time — confirm current terms with Great Lakes before making decisions based on them.
Lead pipes in Great Lakes — common questions
- Who pays for lead pipe replacement in Great Lakes?
-
not published — the Navy's 2024 Annual Drinking Water Quality Report (IL#0975227) says nothing about lead service line replacement or who pays; its only service-line language is the standard EPA notice: "Lead in drinking water is primarily from materials and components associated with service lines and home plumbing. We cannot control the variety of materials used in plumbing components." Program terms change — confirm current details with the municipality before planning around them.
- How do I find out if my Great Lakes home has a lead water line?
-
not published. The IEPA Drinking Water Watch page for IL0975227 contains no service line material data, and IEPA's lead service line information page offers no public statewide inventory portal — it directs residents to contact their water supply directly or IEPA at [email protected] / (217) 785-0561. For this system the published contacts are the base Water Supervisor (847) 688-2121 x137 or Utilities Director x130.
- Does GS Construction replace lead service lines?
-
Service-line replacement itself is licensed plumbing and excavation work — on GS projects it runs through our Illinois-licensed plumbing and excavation partners, and we handle what comes after: restoring the yard, landscaping edges, and any interior finishes the work touched. If a remodel uncovers a lead line, we flag it and point you at the municipal program before anyone spends your money.
- Why do lead lines come up during remodels?
-
Kitchen and bathroom remodels expose the plumbing where it enters the home, and permit inspections increasingly check service-line material against the municipal inventory Illinois law requires. Finding out mid-project is normal — knowing your village's program before demo day is better.
Remodeling in Great Lakes?
We check service-line implications as part of scoping kitchen, bath, and whole-home remodels — free in-home estimate, itemized scope.