Tom Barrett
Mayor

Bevan K. Baker,

FACHE

Commissioner of Health

Sandra J. Rotar
Health Operations Administrator 

 

 

 

 

Frank P. Zeidler Municipal Building, 841 North Broadway, 3rd Floor, Milwaukee, WI 53202-3653

 

www.milwaukee.gov/health 

phone (414) 286-3521

fax (414) 286-5990

 
4/28/2016
Dear Child Care Facility/Provider,
With recent national attention on reported cases of lead in drinking water in other cities across the U.S., the City of
Milwaukee has been working to ensure that Milwaukee residents have information about the water provided to them.
We are reaching out to you because you are a licensed child care provider. Your facility has been identified as a
property that [potentially has OR has] a lead service line. The service line is the pipe that brings water from the water
main into the property.
Lead is not found in the treated drinking water provided by Milwaukee Water Works (MWW). The water you get
from MWW meets all federal guidelines for safety. However, lead can enter drinking water at individual properties
when the lead materials in the property’s service line wear away, or when plumbing inside the property contains lead.
Since 1996, MWW has safely treated drinking water with a compound that forms a protective coating inside pipes to
reduce the risk of lead dissolving into water. But when water sits unused for several hours in lead fixtures or pipes, the
lead may leach into the water.
Exposure to lead through any source, including drinking water poses a health risk, especially to young children under
the age of 6 as well as pregnant women or breastfeeding mothers. The impacts of lead poisoning may be permanent.
Children may experience slowed growth, speech and language delays, and hearing problems as well as impaired school
performance and increased behavior problems. Pregnant women may have newborns that are small in size or
experience early childbirth.
While the City of Milwaukee takes the above steps to reduce the risk of lead in any drinking water, because you
serve young children, you can take the below steps to further reduce the risk of exposure:
1. Flush your plumbing. At the beginning of the day and anytime the water has not been used for an extended period
of time (i.e. several hours), run the water for at least 3 minutes. This should be done at each water fountain and faucet
used for drinking.
2. Use only cold water for cooking and drinking.
3. Consider using water from a certified filtration device or bottled water for drinking and the preparation of
formula and juices. A list of certified devices has been included.
4. Have your water tested by a certified laboratory. The City of Milwaukee Health Department is available to assist
you in developing a sampling protocol and interpreting the results. A list of laboratories has been included.
5. Check your faucet. To reduce the possibility that small particles that may contain lead might accumulate at your
faucet, remove the screen and aerator from the end of faucets, rinse out any debris, and re-attach. Replace with a new
screen if necessary. Set a schedule to do this once a month. If you rent or lease the building, check with your landlord
before removing anything from the faucet.
[CONTINUED ON BACK]
 

  
Physical disturbance of the service line, such as water main replacements, main breaks, or repair of service line leaks,
may result in temporary increases in lead at the tap. In the event that work is planned that will disrupt your service line,
MWW will contact you and offer an alternative water source (i.e. bottled water or water filter), water testing, and
further information on how to further reduce the risk of lead exposure.
For more information on lead and drinking water safety, visit milwaukee.gov/water and milwaukee.gov/health. If you
have questions about lead in drinking water, please call Milwaukee Water Works at 414-286-2830. For questions about
the health effects related to lead in drinking water, please call the City of Milwaukee Health Department at 414-2863521.
Sincerely,
City of Milwaukee Health Department
841 N. Broadway, 3rd Floor
Milwaukee, WI 53202