Nearly 30 Wisconsin communities are taking advantage of more than $159 million through state and Biden-era federal initiatives to remove lead pipes and expand access to clean drinking water.
The state Lead Service Line Replacement Program uses funding from the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which provided $15 billion over five years for lead service line identification and replacement across the country.
“There is no safe level of lead, period, and getting these harmful contaminants out of our water systems once and for all has been a top priority of my administration since Day One,” Democratic Gov. Tony Evers said in a news release. “Wisconsin has been a national leader in spearheading lead service line replacement efforts.”
In Wisconsin, there are more than 132,000 public-side lead service lines, over 128,000 known private-side lead service lines and more than 208,000 service lines of unknown composition that might have lead, the release states.
Lead exposure can lead to decreased IQ and attention span in infants and children and can cause or worsen learning and behavior problems, according to the state Department of Natural Resources. Adults can have higher risks of heart disease, high blood pressure and kidney or nervous system problems.
Oshkosh Director of Public Works James Rabe told the Wisconsin Independent the city recently sent out more than 15,000 notices, of which nearly 55% have public- or private-service pipes with known lead, about 43% have service pipes with an unknown material and about 2% are for galvanized pipes that need replacing due to previously having lead upstream.
Oshkosh is receiving more than $6 million in Lead Service Line Replacement Program funding, according to Evers’ office. More than $2.7 million is lead service principal forgiveness, which is essentially a federal subsidy. The rest is a loan from the federal government to the city with a 0.25% interest rate.
“This money in particular is very impactful for helping residents replace lead services that they may still have coming to their homes.” Rabe said.
“It’s huge for our community,” he added.
About 90 miles south of Oshkosh, Milwaukee is receiving more than $50 million in the latest batch of funding. Of that, $19 million is principal forgiveness and the rest is a loan with 0.25% interest.
“The award helps the city stay on track to meet the current EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) requirement to replace all lead service lines by the end of 2037,” Betsy Vornholt, spokesperson for Milwaukee Water Works, said in an email.
The funding has gone to smaller communities, too. In the northwest Wisconsin city of Thorp, the program is offering more than $733,000, with over $366,000 in principal forgiveness and the rest through the 0.25%-interest loan.
The city of nearly 1,800 residents has 192 known lead service lines and 156 unknowns, city officials said in an email.
“This funding is allowing owners to replace their lead services with affordability,” the email states. “The City of Thorp is dedicated to removing all the lead services from our water system.”
Rabe, from Oshkosh, said it’s a challenge to get everyone to replace their lead pipes. The city had an extensive information campaign with help from a communications consultant. Still, he has seen resistance.
“There’s always that, I’ll say, skepticism of people. That’s just natural, normal human nature,” he said. “That’s the hardest part. We’re trying to document these services, help people get rid of them, and there’s always the struggle of getting people’s buy-in.”
Oshkosh had a program for residents to send the city pictures so staff could identify lead problems without having to physically go into the home, Rabe said.
Now, he said, he’s meeting with a software developer who uses artificial intelligence to evaluate such photos.
“We still got 6,700 unknowns. That’s a lot of services to identify,” he said. “If there’s a way we could utilize this tool and service to help our residents identify them, great. I’m going to try it.”
More information about the lead projects and funding is available on the DNR’s website.
Jonah Beleckis wrote this article for the Wisconsin Independent.
