How Clean Safe Drinking Water Enters Your Home
Wilmette purifies water from Lake Michigan and delivers safe, clean drinking water daily to its residents. When the water leaves Wilmette’s water treatment plant, there is no detectable lead in it. Treated drinking water travels through over a hundred miles of water mains, where it is distributed to residents, businesses, industries and even several other neighboring communities.
Residents receive treated water through a water service line. A water service line connects the public water main (usually under the street) to your home or business. Service line ownership is shared between the Village and property owners. Wilmette owns the portion of the service line from the public water main to the B-box/exterior shut-off valve, and the property owner owns the portion of the service line from the B-box/exterior shut-off valve into the building to a water meter. After the water meter, the water flows through the buildings internal plumbing, which is the sole responsibility of the property owner.
Watch the Village’s Water Service Line Video to learn more about water service lines and how to check the material of a service line.
Pipe Materials
Water distribution systems have existed for over 100 years. During that time, a variety of different pipe materials have been used for water service lines, including copper, plastic, galvanized steel and lead. Note that after 1988, the federal government banned the use of lead water service lines and plumbing. For homes built before 1988, it is possible the water service line is made of lead.
