Community meeting continues call for citizen-led lead lateral committee

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- Get the Lead Out held another community meeting Saturday to push for their goal of getting more support from the city in removing lead laterals and pipes from Milwaukee's water systems.

"That's the main point of contention today -- how long is it going to take, and who's going to pay for it?" said Robert Penner, a steering committee member of the Get the Lead Out Coalition.

He was one of a few dozen people at the meeting at the Washington Park Library Saturday.

Penner is also a history PhD student at UWM. He says the lead laterals date back to a law in 1872 made by then-mayor Harrison Ludington, requiring water hookups in the city to be lead.

"Why would he do that? Well, he was on the board of the Wisconsin State Lead Mining Company and his cousin, James Luddington, was the owner of the Milwaukee White Lead Manufacturing Company," explained Penner.

Committee member Stephani Lohman, who is also a nurse, says lead in water systems causes serious health issues.

"Especially in children because their bodies are smaller," said Lohman.

Committee members say while the city has recommended flushing water systems or filtering to reduce lead, she says any small amount of lead can be bad for health.

"It can cause behavioral issues, it can cause neurological issues, intellectual delay, in adults it can cause things like hypertension," said Lohman.

Derek Beyer, another committee member, says what they're calling for is more action, whether that's through TIFFs, or other sources of funding.

He says cities like Denver, Newark and Detroit started their plans just a few years ago and are moving faster than Milwaukee.

"Milwaukee's plan may not be a carbon copy of another city's, but we want to see the same will power these other cities are showing. We just feel what we've had to date is a lot of excusing and just an inadequate response to a public health issue," said Beyer.

Penner says they've worked with city council in the past too, varying degrees of success.

Now, they're calling for an oversight committee on the matter that's lead by citizens who are impacted by the issue.

"Those are the people who should be on the oversight committee," said Penner.