The state of Wisconsin will provide the city of Milwaukee with $4 million to help pay for the removal of lead pipes, Gov. Scott Walker announced today.
The funds come in addition to $2.6 million that the state provided the city last year for lead pipe removal. The DNR conceived the funding program in 2016 following a decision by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to allow the state greater flexibility in allocating loan funds for water infrastructure projects. Under the program, municipalities determine how to distribute the funds.
“We are helping the City of Milwaukee provide clean water to kids and families,” said Walker. “It is critical that we continue to remove lead pipes throughout our state to ensure our communities are healthy.”
More than $26 million has been awarded by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) statewide in a two-year effort to replace lead service lines at homes, schools, and daycare facilities in 42 Wisconsin municipalities, Walker’s office said..
In Milwaukee, at least 500 lead service lines will be replaced utilizing the $4 million in state funds, Walker’s office said. Another 360 residential lead service lines and 103 lead service lines serving day care centers were due to be replaced when Milwaukee was awarded $2.6 million in similar funding last fiscal year.
The lead service line replacements, which are done from the water main running down the street to the connection point inside the home, will be done in conjunction with the city’s annual street reconstruction projects, as well as by spot replacement in areas where the public side of the service line has already been replaced or when emergency repairs are needed, Walker’s office said.
Property owners are typically responsible for these older and aging lines. The state funds lift some of that financial burden from property owners, Walker said.
Under an ordinance recently passed by the City of Milwaukee, homeowners will be required to pay one third of the average replacement cost up to a maximum of $1,600. Day care replacements will be covered 100 percent by the city. Homeowner payments will continue to revolve to fund additional private lead service line replacements until all private LSLs in the Ccty have been replaced.
