Most homeowners think of their pipes as simple tubes that move water from the street to the sink. In University Park, Illinois, recent history showed that the relationship between water and plumbing is far more chemical than that. Water reacts with the copper, brass and solder it touches every day, and small changes in that chemistry can show up at the kitchen tap.
That lesson arrived after 2017, when the village’s water utility switched its supply from groundwater wells to the Kankakee River. Within two years, routine testing found elevated lead in some homes, and about 1,500 households were told not to drink their tap water while the problem was investigated.
The episode still shapes how local families approach repairs, remodels and water quality. Professionals who handle residential plumbing in University Park often begin with the same question every homeowner should ask: when was this house built, and what materials are hiding behind the walls?
What Actually Happened to the Water
The lead did not come from pipes under the street. According to the Illinois EPA’s University Park drinking water page, the utility has reported no lead service lines in its system. The source was inside the houses, in older solder joints and fixtures.
River water behaves differently from well water. State officials alleged that a chemical added to the system after the switch weakened the thin mineral layer that had formed inside household pipes over decades. That layer had been keeping metal from dissolving. Once it thinned, lead from older solder began to leach into the water.
The long term fix came from the treatment plant. After several rounds of study, the utility moved to zinc orthophosphate, a corrosion control treatment that helps rebuild that protective coating. Regulators report that the system has met the federal lead action level since July 2021.
Why the Age of Your Home Matters
Lead pipes and solder were common in home construction before 1987, and the utility said the affected homes were those built before 1990. Its 2023 service line inventory shows the scale: of roughly 2,870 connections, 733 were listed as copper with lead solder, and more than 1,100 were marked as unknown material.
Fixtures add another layer. Until 2014, faucets and valves sold as lead free could legally contain up to 8 percent lead in their brass. Today the limit is a fraction of a percent. So even a house with safe solder might still have an original kitchen faucet that contributes more than you would expect.
| When the home was built | Typical supply plumbing | Main concern |
|---|---|---|
| Before 1987 | Copper with lead solder, older brass valves | Lead release when water sits in pipes |
| 1987 to 2013 | Copper with lead free solder | Original faucets and valves with higher lead brass |
| 2014 and later | Copper or PEX with modern fittings | Fitting failures and freeze damage in exterior walls |
Knowing which row describes your house tells you where to look first.
Everyday Habits That Lower Risk in Older Houses
The U.S. EPA’s overview of lead in drinking water explains that exposure risk climbs when water sits still in contact with lead bearing materials. A few simple routines help:
- Run the cold tap for a minute or two after water has sat for several hours, such as first thing in the morning or after a trip.
- Use only cold water for drinking, cooking and baby formula, since hot water pulls more metal from pipes and fixtures.
- Unscrew and rinse faucet aerators every few months, because tiny bits of scale and solder collect in the screen.
- If you use a filter, pick one certified to NSF/ANSI Standard 53 for lead reduction and replace cartridges on schedule.
- Ask your water utility about testing options, or send a sample to a certified laboratory.
None of these steps is expensive. Together, they reduce exposure while you decide whether any fixtures or sections of pipe need replacing.
Remodels Can Stir Things Up
Kitchen and bathroom updates are where old plumbing gets disturbed most. Cutting into soldered copper, swapping a shutoff valve or shaking loose a corroded line can temporarily release particles that were sitting harmlessly in place. Illinois EPA itself advised residents to keep using filters after faucet repairs until follow up samples came back clean.
For anyone renovating a home built before the late 1980s, that suggests a sensible order of work. Replace older brass valves and faucets along with the cabinets and counters, flush every line thoroughly once the job is finished, and test the kitchen tap a few weeks later rather than assuming the new work solved everything.
Other Systems Worth Watching
Water chemistry affects more than lead. River sourced water varies with the seasons in temperature and mineral content, which can change how quickly sediment builds inside a water heater tank. An annual flush keeps that buildup in check and protects the heating element or burner.
Winter brings its own risks. University Park sits in a region of hard freezes, and supply lines running through exterior walls, crawl spaces or unheated garages are the most likely to split. Insulating those runs and disconnecting garden hoses before the first deep cold snap prevents a large share of midwinter calls.
Outdoors, older sewer laterals made of clay or cast iron can crack as soil shifts, inviting tree roots inside. Slow drains throughout the house, gurgling toilets or soggy patches in the yard often point to a problem in that buried line rather than in any single fixture.
Living With a Plumbing System That Has a History
Every home in University Park carries a record of the decade it was built, written in the metal of its pipes and the brass of its faucets. The water crisis made that record visible in a way most communities never experience.
The useful takeaway is not fear but awareness. A homeowner who knows the age of the house, understands what the utility does to keep pipes coated, and treats remodels as a chance to retire old fixtures is in a far better position than one who only thinks about plumbing when something leaks. Clean, safe water at the tap depends on both the treatment plant and the few hundred feet of pipe inside your own walls.
