State Rep. Bob Donovan
Press Release

Mayor: Strongly urging owners, residents to install water filters for lead

Statement from Alderman Bob Donovan---September 7, 2016

By - Sep 7th, 2016 02:16 pm

I am deeply concerned by the comments made this morning by Mayor Barrett concerning the safety of drinking water service for hundreds of thousands of Milwaukee residents, and I am planning to schedule meetings of the Public Safety Committee to discuss this potentially dangerous situation.

According to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, during a public forum on drinking water at the Marquette University Law School this morning, the mayor said anyone living in a Milwaukee residence constructed prior to 1951 should consider getting a faucet filter that can remove lead from drinking water. Additionally, a drinking water treatment scientist and professor at Virginia Tech said no one should consider Milwaukee’s water 100% safe to drink as long as lead pipes are present.

To the mayor and the administration: Why aren’t we warning residents about this danger?

The public safety of our citizens is paramount, and I will be inviting the mayor to come before the Public Safety Committee to explain this situation in detail.

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.

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Comments

  1. SteveM says:

    Fantastic! Never miss an opportunity to politicize a potentially bad situation. maybe more cops could stop the massive lead poisoning that you’ve identified as the next major threat. (Didn’t you lose the election?)

  2. David M says:

    Is this really new news to Mr. Donavan? He first heard about it this morning at Marquette University?

    Ridiculous. What rock have you been living under? MKE has lead in water publications.
    http://city.milwaukee.gov/water/about/LeadandWaterNEW#.V9GcAD_2ZaQ

    And does Mr. Donavan not read the Journal Sentinel?
    http://archive.jsonline.com/news/milwaukee/milwaukee-facing-daunting-costs-with-lead-water-pipes-b99658687z1-366754751.html

  3. David M says:

    The Milwaukee Water Works began a corrosion control program in 1996, which has resulted in a significant improvement in lead at customers’ taps. We add a phosphorous compound to the water that forms a coating on the inside of pipes to prevent lead from leaching from plumbing materials into the water.

    http://city.milwaukee.gov/water/about/LeadandWaterNEW#.V9GcIj_2ZaQ

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