How It Works

A water service line is the pipe that delivers water to your facility from the water main in the street. If it’s made of lead or galvanized material, the service line can leach or unpredictably release toxic lead particles into the water as it travels to your facility. Watch this video to learn more about lead service lines and why it’s important to replace them.

LeadCare Cook County supports a safe and healthy learning environment for children by offering free lead service line replacement to child care providers in suburban Cook County.

• If you’re ready to create a healthier environment for children, step one is to complete this easy enrollment form.
• To replace your line, we need your consent. Please review the responsibilities outlined in the enrollment form.
• If you’d like to speak with a LeadCare specialist before you enroll, please contact us at 773-389-5657.

• A LeadCare specialist schedules a visit to your facility to inspect your service line.
• You provide safe and clear access to the area where your water service line enters your facility, usually in the basement.
• If the line contains lead or galvanized material, we schedule a date to replace it with a copper service line at no charge to you. Remember, it can cost homeowners up to $20,000 to replace a service line!
• No work is done at this time. We estimate how long the replacement will take and whether it will obstruct entry for children and parents.

• We strive to minimize the disruption for you and your business.
• We need access to the service line connection inside your facility.
• We need to turn off the water during the replacement process. You will receive an estimate of how long this will take before work begins.
• We provide a full supply of bottled water for use during the replacement.

• We flush your water and provide free testing supplies to ensure lead levels come down following replacement.
• In the short term, lead levels may remain high following the replacement. During this time, LeadCare Cook County provides free water pitchers or faucet-mount filters, and replacement filters, that are certified to reduce lead in drinking water.
• We notify the local water utility that the line was successfully replaced.
• LeadCare Cook County leaves no mess behind. We restore impacted areas.
• Following replacement, a LeadCare Cook County specialist remains available for ongoing support and questions, including follow-up testing.
• After your replacement is completed,  you can earn a gift card for each childcare provider that you refer to the program. Once they are confirmed eligible, the program will send you an e-gift card! View our terms and conditions.