In a decisive stride towards public health, the City of Milwaukee Water Works (MWW) has reached an impressive leap with the completion of 10,000 lead service line replacements. This effort forms part of the city's expansive plan to combat lead contamination in drinking water. The milestone will be commemorated with remarks from Mayor Cavalier Johnson, Department of Public Works Commissioner Jerrel Kruschke, and Milwaukee Water Works Superintendent Patrick Pauly, encapsulating the urgency of safeguarding water quality for the city's residents.
Public health, often standing on the frontlines of urban policy, wearing the burdens that complex infrastructural legacies bequeath, finds a moment of victory in the efforts made by Milwaukee’s officials. The event is set to take place today, with media preparations starting at 9:30 a.m., followed by the main remarks at 10:00 a.m., on the ground at 2036 W Scott St.
The city's Lead Service Line Replacement Program, according to an announcement from the MWW, underlines Milwaukee's commitment to providing lead-free water well before it reaches citizen taps. Although lead-free at the source, the threat of lead leeching into the water supply persists through old lines and plumbing. Milwaukee Water Works is taking strides to replace the remaining 65,000 lead service lines with copper by the year 2037, with special attention given to childcare facilities, emergency leak repairs, and certain planned infrastructural overhauls.
Touching on focused initiative, the Prioritization Program tackles neighborhoods with the greatest need first, considering factors that often such communities wear like a yoke – age of the infrastructure, the incidence of poverty, and the presence of children. Now operating in its second year, the program extends its service to eligible property owners spanning 15 neighborhood zones, with the commencement of this year’s planned projects already in full swing.
