Committee Approves Loans for Lead Laterals
$550,000 loan program for any resident, regardless of income, to replace lead laterals.

Lead service lines replaced by the Milwaukee Water Works with corrosion control visible in pipe. Image from Milwaukee Water Works.
Milwaukee County Supervisor John Weishan, Jr. is pushing for the replacement of lead pipes connected to property owners’ water meters known as “laterals” with two new proposals, put forward during the Transportation, Public Works and Transit Committee meeting last Wednesday. “It’s about time the local government took action to address the lead crisis in our community,” he declared.
The committee voted unanimously to approve Supervisor Weishan’s resolution, authorizing a $550,000 loan program to any Milwaukee County resident, regardless of income, for lead removal. It also requires that lead remediation become a condition for the sale of county-acquired tax-foreclosed properties.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention agree that no level of lead contamination is safe. Milwaukee, Racine, and Watertown were among the top 10 jurisdictions with the highest rates of lead poisoning, according to a 2016 report by the Wisconsin Department of Health Services. This is largely due to a high number of old housing units in these areas.
Gov. Tony Evers declared 2019 the “year of clean drinking water” in Wisconsin after taking office. More than 200,000 lead service lines are scattered across the Badger State, with some 77,000 in Milwaukee. Lead lateral removal became a key issue in the budget battle, during which Republicans struck down a proposed $40 million to address the issue statewide. Rep. John Nygren (R-Marinette), and others, argued that it wasn’t a fair proposal for taxpayers because too much funding would go to Milwaukee.
“I’ve been urging action on lead remediation for years, but my appeals seem to have fallen on deaf ears,” Supervisor Weishan said in the committee meeting. “With this proposal, we’re putting real money towards the problem so homeowners can replace the lead laterals to their homes.”
Reprinted with permission of Wisconsin Examiner.
More about the Lead Crisis
- MPS Will Reopen School Shuttered Because of Lead Dust - Jeramey Jannene - Mar 12th, 2025
- Trowbridge Street School Won’t Reopen Monday, to Allow More Time for Deep Cleaning of Lead Dust - Milwaukee Public Schools - Mar 7th, 2025
- Health Department Will Investigate 10 More Schools For Lead Issues - Jeramey Jannene - Mar 7th, 2025
- MKE County: County Expands Lead Abatement For Low-Income Homes - Graham Kilmer - Mar 1st, 2025
- Health Department Shutters MPS School Over Lead Concerns - Jeramey Jannene - Feb 28th, 2025
- Health Department May Shut Down Some Milwaukee Schools With High Lead Levels - Evan Casey - Feb 24th, 2025
- Alderwoman Coggs introduces file to discuss MPS lead exposure issues - Ald. Milele Coggs - Feb 20th, 2025
- Gov. Evers’ biennial state budget prioritizes clean water, clean energy, and public lands for Wisconsin - Wisconsin Conservation Voters - Feb 18th, 2025
- Gov. Evers Announces Comprehensive Plan to Ensure Clean Water for Kids and Families in 2025 Year of the Kid - Gov. Tony Evers - Feb 18th, 2025
- More Milwaukee Schools Getting Tested for High Lead Levels - Evan Casey - Feb 15th, 2025
Read more about Lead Crisis here
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