MILWAUKEE — Thousands more homes in Milwaukee may be impacted by lead in the water — and a group is calling on city leaders to do more to inform homeowners they could be at risk.
During a monthly meeting of the City of Milwaukee’s Water Quality Task Force on Friday, February 10th, it was revealed thousands more homes may have lead pipes than first thought. Freshwater For Life Action Coalition (FLAC) is now demanding that Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett inform citizens that they may be at risk, and show them how to identify lead pipes.
“We’re looking at possibly another 12,000 to 15,000 thousand homes in addition to the 70,000 the city initially stated,” said Robert Miranda the group’s spokesperson.
At a press conference Tuesday, February 14th, Miranda with the advocacy group “FLAC” said homes built in 1962 or earlier may have lead laterals. City leaders initially said homes built after 1951 should be safe.
“Right now we don’t have a real clear number as to how many homes we actually have in the city that may have lead laterals,” Miranda said.
Lead laterals can result in lead leaching into water, and is especially dangerous for children and those who are pregnant.
“This is a threat, a danger,” Miranda said.
