Milwaukee Water Works reports progress on lead service-line replacements, warns 2027 federal deadline will be challenging

The Milwaukee Common Council Public Works Committee heard a semiannual update on lead service line replacements on the agenda item filed as a communication from the Department of Public Works and Milwaukee Water Works.

Patrick Pauley, Waterworks superintendent, told the committee the utility is on track to increase replacements in 2025 and is planning a still-larger program for 2026. “Our 2025 budget goal is 3,500 replacements,” Pauley said, and as of mid-September the utility had completed 2,155. He said contractors under contract can perform about 100 replacements per week and that the city is working to sustain that pace through the end of the year.

Michelle Natarajan, water quality manager, described the utility’s post-replacement water testing and results. She said the utility collected 266 water samples at 137 properties during the reporting period. On average each sample bottle measured under 3 parts per billion (ppb); one single result exceeded the current EPA action level of 15 ppb and five results exceeded 10 ppb but were below 15 ppb. Natarajan said most elevated results after work reflect construction debris or aerator fouling and that…