Reducing Risk
How to Reduce Your Risk of Lead Exposure from Water
Flush your tap: Run cold water for 3 minutes before use
Why: Lead can accumulate in water when it sits in pipes for several hours.
Independent lab tests of Milwaukee homes show that running your tap for three minutes each morning—or any time water has been sitting for more than six hours—significantly reduces lead levels.
- A typical lead service line is less than 100 feet long and holds less than 5 gallons of water.
- Flushing for three minutes costs less than two cents and clears the standing water from your service line.
- This brings in fresh water from the main, which contains less than 1 part per billion (ppb) of lead. For reference, the EPA’s Action Level for lead is 15 ppb.
- The EPA and public health experts recommend flushing as a proven method to reduce lead risk.
Use a Certified Water Filter
Install an NSF/ANSI Standard 53 certified filter for drinking and cooking water.
Who should use a filter:
Individuals at greater risk for lead exposure should use an NSF/ANSI Standard 53 certified filter for drinking and cooking water. This includes:
- Children under age six (especially infants fed with formula made from tap water)
- Women who are pregnant, breastfeeding, or of child-bearing age
If you do not use a filter:
-
Drink and cook only with cold water that has been flushed for at least three minutes.
Additional Steps for Homes with Lead Service Lines
If your home or apartment has a lead service line:
- Always use cold water for drinking and cooking.
- Run cold water for three minutes before using it.
- During nearby construction (such as water main or sewer work), flush your plumbing at the end of each workday and after the project is complete. Find instructions here.
- Consider replacing your lead service line and household plumbing with copper. Learn more about the Owner Request Option here.
- Regularly unscrew and rinse faucet screens (aerators) to remove any trapped particles.
How Milwaukee Water Works Reduces Lead Risk
Milwaukee Water Works uses a corrosion control treatment to help prevent lead from leaching into your drinking water.
- Lead can enter water when lead pipes corrode over time. Corrosion happens naturally when oxygen in water reacts with lead metal.
- To stop this process, orthophosphate, a common food-grade additive, is added during the final step of water treatment. It coats the inside of lead pipes, creating a protective barrier.
- Since corrosion control began in 1996, lead levels in Milwaukee’s drinking water have remained well below the EPA’s action level of 15 parts per billion (ppb).
Learn more:
The image above shows a corroded lead pipe (center) and one treated with orthophosphate (right).
A Sept 2017 EPA report looked at how children are exposed to lead from different sources: air, soil and dust, water, and food.
- Children living in older homes with lead-based paint hazards have the highest exposure. For 1- to 6-year-olds in the highest exposure group, more than 70% of lead in the blood came from soil and dust.
- Food contributed about 20%, and drinking water about 10%.
- For infants, about 40% of lead exposure can come from drinking water.
Understanding where lead comes from can help you take steps to protect your household. Actions like testing your water, using a certified filter, and reducing dust in your home can help lower exposure for your family.
The EPA is also evaluating health-based benchmarks for lead in drinking water.
Results of our sampling for lead content at residential properties
- For the results of our 2017 federal Lead & Copper Rule testing at residential properties with a lead service line, click here.
- For the results of our 2020 federal Lead & Copper Rule testing at residential properties with a lead service line, click here.
- For the results of our 2023 federal Lead & Copper Rule testing at residential properties with a lead service line, click here.
- For the results of our 2022 and 2023 testing at residential properties prior to replacement of a lead service line, click here.
- For the results of our 2022 and 2023 testing at residential properties after replacement of a lead service line, click here.
- For all 2022 and 2023 retest data, click here.
Customer Service Center
For billing and related questions:
24-Hour Control Center
For water emergencies only:
414-286-5452 (Fax)
Zeidler Municipal Building, 841 N. Broadway, Room 406, Milwaukee, WI 53202
Monday - Friday, 7:30 AM - 4:45 PM