Spectators at City Hall listen intently to a presentation about lead poisoning in Milwaukee in February. (Photo by Edgar Mendez)
City officials, including representatives from the Health Department, Milwaukee Water Works and the Department of Public Works, will answer questions about lead in the water at 9 a.m. Friday, March 22 during a special meeting of the Common Council’s Public Safety and Health Committee at City Hall.
According to Ald. Bob Donovan, chair of the committee, “lead water issues have been a primary concern for many years in the community, and community organizations and public officials have been disappointed in the lack of response from city departments in addressing questions and concerns.”
Representatives of the Freshwater for Life Action Coalition and the Get the Lead Out are expected to raise concerns over whether the city is doctoring maps to give residents false impressions about lead, and whether a spike in infant deaths along North Avenue could have been caused by lead exposure.
The meeting, which will be held in Room 301-B at City Hall, 200 E. Wells St., is open to the public. You can also watch the meeting live on the City Channel (Channel 25 on Spectrum Cable and Channel 99 on AT&T U-Verse), or you can stream it live at https://www.city.milwaukee.gov/Channel25.
Edgar is a senior staff reporter for the Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service. Mendez is a proud graduate of UW-Milwaukee, where he double majored in Journalism and Sociology, and of Marquette University, where he earned a master’s degree in Communication. As an accomplished journalist, Edgar’s awards include a 2018 Regional Edward R. Murrow award, several press club awards and a Society of Professional Journalists’ regional award for columns dealing with issues such as poverty, homelessness and racism.
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I live at 51st and North Ave. What are the top five take aways about lead in water along this corridor I should be practicing to prevent lead poisoning?
Is there different preventions based on age? Infints, pre-teens, pregnant mothers and adults over 50.
Hi Paul, our explainer might guide you to some of the answers you seek. Take a look at https://milwaukeenns.org/2019/02/28/is-milwaukee-safe-what-you-need-to-know-about-the-citys-lead-crisis/ and if you have questions, reach out and we will try to help.
Ron