MILWAUKEE (AP) -- The city of Milwaukee plans to hand out $75,000 worth of water filters to low-income families with pregnant women and children to remove lead from tap water.
Mayor Tom Barrett announced Thursday that the United Way of Greater Milwaukee & Waukesha County and four health systems are donating the money.
About 70,000 residences built before 1951 get water from mains through lateral lead pipes. Milwaukee treats Lake Michigan water to control corrosion of lead from those pipes and prevent contamination.
Barrett recommends older homes let the water run until it gets cold to reduce lead levels. He said there is also risk of elevated levels for three to six weeks after construction on nearby water mains.
He has previously recommended people in older houses get water filters.
