Lead water pipes has Wisconsin cities looking at big dollar fixes

Different story in La Crosse

Since the Flint, Mich., dilemma, there has been a new awareness on the threats of lead in drinking water.

That awareness has some cities evaluating how water gets to homes, and some Wisconsin utilities are looking at big-dollar fixes to remove lead pipes.

In La Crosse, though, there isn’t much lead at all, says water utility manager Mark Johnson. Not in the pipes, at least. There is some lead fittings still connecting water mains to galvanized pipes.

“All of those are eliminated at every opportunity,” Johnson said. “Eventually, and we’re not there yet, but eventually, those will all be gone.”

For some reason, Johnson said, there was never lead used as water piping in La Crosse, unlike cities like Madison and Milwaukee, where the problem is relatively widespread.