The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency has awarded $1,240,882 to the Village of Buda to enhance its water infrastructure. This financial boost, under the State Revolving Fund, requires no repayment, providing significant relief to the local government. The funds will replace 97 of the 174 lead service lines identified in the village, a critical step in ensuring safe drinking water for the community. This initiative marks a significant effort to address longstanding health concerns associated with lead in water supply systems, safeguarding the well-being of Buda’s residents.
“Through the Lead Service Line Replacement and Notification Act, Illinois has made the removal of lead service lines a priority, providing community water systems with the framework to identify, inventory, and remove these pipes from service,” said Acting Director James Jennings. “Through our State Revolving Fund, we are able to afford communities vital funding to remove and replace lead service lines to further protect their residents.”
“I’m excited to support critical upgrades in water service infrastructure in Buda. Toxic drinking water, due to corrosion of lead service lines, is a real threat to public health and safety, whether in rural Illinois or urban Chicago,” said State Senator Liandro Arellano, Jr. “The Illinois EPA’s loan forgiveness program is a key funding partnership that helps turn plans into real
projects.”
“I am very pleased to see Buda receive this funding to replace their lead service lines,” said State Representative Ryan Spain. “We all know the risks posed by lead contamination in drinking water, especially as pipes age. Replacing these pipes will improve the health and wellbeing of the residents of Buda and provide peace of mind for residents in knowing that their
water is coming from safe, lead-free pipes.”
“Buda Village Board and residents would like to thank the IEPA for the funding for our lead line project,” said Village of Buda Mayor Lisa Aber. “This will help avoid financial hardship for the Village, while allowing us to replace these lead lines to improve water quality for our residents. This funding is so important for Buda and all small communities in Illinois to help with
improvements.”
Illinois EPA began providing funding for Lead Service Line Replacements (LSLR) in State Fiscal Year (SFY) 2017, utilizing funding from the federal Water Infrastructure Fund Transfer Act. In total, Illinois EPA provided $122 million in funding for LSLR through SFY 2023 for projects directly related to activities that reduce or eliminate lead from potable water. In SFY 2024, the Illinois EPA awarded approximately $89 million in LSLR funding and has over $120 million in reserved funding for SFY 2025. To learn more about Illinois EPA’s SRF, visit https://epa.illinois.gov/topics/grants-loans/state-revolving-fund.html.
