MILWAUKEE -- One day after Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett reiterated the need for some homeowners to filter their drinking water, the I-TEAM has learned Milwaukee Public Schools is testing all schools for lead contamination.
A concerned parent contacted TODAY'S TMJ4 this week after her daughter came home and said water fountains were covered up at Wedgewood Park International School.
In an email, a district spokesperson said that during the course of lead testing at the school, staff discovered 10 of the 16 water fountains were broken and needed to be replaced.
Parents we spoke with both on and off camera say they have not received any notifications from the district about lead testing or broken water fountains.
"I think they should have notified us," parent Anthony Mesa said. "This way we could have had an alternative for our child like bottled water, soda or something for them to drink if they are thirsty."
A spokesperson for the district did say in a statement late Friday afternoon that there is no federal or state requirement to test drinking water. The spokesperson also stated testing is only being done to ease concerns.
"I always bring water bottles to school," 8th grader Zena Khatin said. "I really don't trust water fountains in school."
It's unclear how long it will take to test water samples for every school in the district, but a spokesperson said those results will be made available at a later date.
