IL Rep: Springfield puts politics over health as lead contamination
spreads
[June 21, 2025]
By Catrina Barker | The Center Square contributor
(The Center Square) – As towns like LeRoy, Illinois, face unsafe water,
lawmakers warn that Springfield’s political games are putting public
health on the back burner.
State Rep. Reagan Deering, R-Decatur, said she met with LeRoy Mayor
Steven Dean in April and they discussed the city's ongoing work to
replace the lead-based water lines.
“Actually, this is an issue facing many communities across central
Illinois. And he, like others, has applied for infrastructure grants to
help fund these essential upgrades,” said Deering.
Dean did not respond to The Center Square’s request for comment.
A new report from the nonprofit Protect Kids from Lead Coalition finds
72 Illinois towns, including many in McLean, Will, Kane, Lake and Cook
counties, have exceeded federal lead limits in drinking water, and with
the limit dropping to 10 ppb by 2027, more could soon follow.
“When it comes to thinking about our spending priorities in Springfield,
I'm working every day to ensure our rural communities get the support
they need without driving up costs for their community members and
working families,” said Deering.
Deering said too many Illinois communities are feeling squeezed.
“They're caught between rising prices and crumbling infrastructure
that's been neglected for decades by the majority party, and they have
really seen the prioritization of political pet projects over the basic
needs of our communities,” said Deering,
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LeRoy recently imposed new water fees at a May 19 city council
meeting. The city also officially approved a 5.6% increase in water
and sewer rates for 2025 at a Jan. 20 city council meeting.
State Rep. Chris Miller, R-Oakland, is raising alarms over whether
the issue is being properly defined, or whether it's even a genuine
problem. He said they’ve got it “backwards,” describing how billions
have been set aside “to go find a problem” before any meaningful
inventories or localized testing have been conducted.
Miller’s frustrations stem from what he describes as a “shrouded”
initiative lacking in publicly available data.
Biden‑era infrastructure programs commit $15 billion under the
Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, plus $2.6 billion focused on lead
pipes and $50 billion for clean water overall.
Few communities have robust inventories of where service lines are
actually lead, Miller said.
“I need to know exactly where this money's going, exactly where it's
going to be spent, and exactly what pipes we're replacing. And then,
once we have all the research done, that's when you go apply for the
grant to fix your problem,” said Miller. “I'd like for them to even
define what they're talking about, about a lead pipe, because I can
promise you that they can't use pipes made out of lead to carry
water because the metal is too soft.”
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