Baldwin Delivers $850,000 to Reduce Lead in Schools and Childcare Facilities Throughout Wisconsin

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) announced that the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) will receive nearly $850,000 to address lead in drinking water at childcare facilities throughout Wisconsin. The federal funds will be used to test, mitigate, and reduce lead in drinking water in local schools and child care centers across the Badger State. Every year, thousands of children in Wisconsin are poisoned by exposure to lead in their environment, disproportionately impacting communities of color and having lasting impacts on children’s health.

“Every parent in Wisconsin deserves the peace of mind that the water coming out of the faucet or water fountain at their kids’ school or day care is safe and sound,” said Senator Tammy Baldwin. “I’m excited to bring home this funding because it will help communities across our state test their water, get remediation plans in place, and ensure our childcare facilities are a healthy and safe environment for every kid. Thanks to the annual government funding process and Bipartisan Infrastructure Law I helped pass, we’re taking critical steps toward ensuring that everyone, no matter their zip code, has access to safe and clean drinking water.”

“Every Wisconsinite deserves access to clean, safe water, free of lead, PFAS, and other harmful contaminants that we know have devastating long-term effects on the health of our kids, families, and our state,” said Gov. Evers. “Doing what is best for our kids includes ensuring they have access to safe, clean drinking water at school or day care. This voluntary testing program will have a real and lasting positive impact, and I’m grateful to the Biden-Harris Administration and Sen. Baldwin for supporting this and other important efforts to help get lead out of our water and keep our kids safe.”

The funding comes through the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Lead Testing in School and Child Care Program Drinking Water Grant Program, funded through the annual government funding process. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law amended the grant program to increase the annual funding authorization and allow for grants to be used in remediation in addition to testing. The funding will allow DHS to implement a program of voluntary testing for lead in drinking water at local schools and child care centers. Specifically, DHS will:

• Test all outlets that directly service childcare operations in at least 275 licensed childcare programs;
• Provide lead testing results to program partners, local public health departments, parents, teachers, facility employees, and community members;
• Assist facilities with implementing short-term and long-term lead-in-water remediation measures to reduce the risk of exposure to lead-in-water;
• Build expertise and capacity statewide to conduct water testing in accordance with the EPA’s 3Ts guidance;
• Educate communities about lead and the importance of testing in childcare facilities; and
• Advance health equity by ensuring that all young children, regardless of race, ethnicity, or socioeconomic status, live and learn in environments free of lead contamination.

Earlier this year, Baldwin announced that Wisconsin received more than $83 million to identify and replace hazardous lead pipes across the state through the Environmental Protection Agency’s Drinking Water State Revolving Fund under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Baldwin also secured key provisions of her Made in America Act in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, ensuring that American iron and steel are used in the construction of this water infrastructure. In 2023, Senator Baldwin announced Wisconsin was selected as one of four states designated as a Lead Service Line Replacement Accelerator to provide support to communities in their work of removing lead service lines from start to finish.

An online version of this release is available here.

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.