THANKS VERY MUCH. >> THANK YOU SO MUCH.
IT'S ALWAYS A PLEASURE AGAIN. DRINKING WATER FLOWS THROUGH
150,000 LEAD PIPES IN WISCONSIN. AFFECTING AT LEASE
92 COMMUNITIES. BUT THE CITY OF WAUSAU HAS A
PLAN TO REMOVE ALL OF ITS LEAD SERVICE LINES FROM THE STREET TO
THE TAP, WITHIN FIVE YEARS. "HERE AND NOW" REPORTER NATHAN
DENZIN HAS MORE. >> EVERY DAY, COMMUNITIES ACROSS
WISCONSIN GET THEIR DRINKING WATER FROM LEAD PIPES.
>> THE LEAD EXPOSURE IS DANGEROUS TO PEOPLE OF ALL AGES,
BUT PREGNANT WOMEN AND YOUNG CHILDREN ARE PARTICULARLY AT
RISK. >> ANN HIREKATUR IS TH E LEAD AND
COPPER SECTION MANAGER AT THE WISCONSIN DNR, WHERE SHE WORKS
WITH LOCAL COMMUNITIES TO IDENTIFY AND MAP LEAD PIPES IN
WISCONSIN. AND THERE ARE PLENTY.
MILWAUKEE IS PARTICULARLY WELL-KNOWN FOR ITS LEAD PIPES,
BUT OTHER TOWNS AND CITIES ACROSS THE STATE ARE DEALING
WITH THE ISSUE TOO. >> WE'RE TALKING ABOUT PUBLIC
HEALTH, BUT WE OBVIOUSLY CARE A LOT ABOUT, AND WE'RE TALKING
ABOUT JUST KEEPING PEOPLE SAFE AND HEALTHY AND CULTIVATING
BETTER TRUST IN GOVERNMENT. >> WAUSAU MAYOR KATIE ROSENBERG
RECENTLY ANNOUNCED AN ACCELERATED LEAD PIPE
REPLACEMENT EFFORT THAT AIMS TO TAKE ALL OF THE CITY'S PIPES OUT
IN FIVE YEARS. THE ISSUE HAS BEEN A LONG-TIME
CONCERN. >> WE COULD HAVE EST IMATED THAT
WE HAD ABOUT 8,000 LEAD PIPES. >> THAT'S ABOUT ONE LEAD PIPE
FOR EVERY FIVE RESIDENTS. AND THAT ISN'T UNUSUAL IN
WISCONSIN, WHERE DATA FROM THE NATIONAL DEFENSE COUNCIL
ESTIMATES THAT WISCONSIN HAS THE MOST LEAD PIPES PER CAPITA IN
THE NATION. LEAD PIPES ARE A PRIMARY SOURCE
OF LEAD IN DRINKING WATER, ACCORDING TO THE ENVIRONMENTAL
PROTECTION AGENCY, ACCOUNTING FOR ABOUT 20% OF ALL LEAD
POISONING. >> WHEN WATER FLOW S THROUGH THE
LEAD PIPES, THE PIPES CAN COROAD AND THE LEAD IN THE PIPES CAN
LEACH OUT INTO YOUR DRINKING WATER. >> WHILE MOST LEAD PIP
ES HAVE AN INNER COATING OF MINERALS THAT
HAS BUILT UP OVER YEARS OF USE, INSULATING WATER FROM THE LEAD,
THAT INSULATION IS FRAGILE. IF THE WATER'S CHEMISTRY CHANGES
EVEN SLIGHTLY, THAT COATING CAN BE STRIPPED AWAY.
LOOK NO FURTHER THAN FLINT, MICHIGAN.
WHEN THE CITY CHANGED THE SOURCE OF ITS WATER IN 2014, IT
STRIPPED AWAY THE INSULATION ON THEIR PIPES AND RELEASED LEAD
INTO THE WATER SUPPLY. LEAD IS A TOXIN THAT CAN HAVE
SERIOUS HEL EFFECTS, INCLUDING A DECREASED ABILITY TO PAY
ATTENTION, A DECREASED IQ, AND UNDERPERFORMANCE IN SCHOOL.
>> SMALL CHILDREN ARE ALSO PARTICULARLY AT RISK OF SPEECH
AND HEARING ISSUES, GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT DELAYS, AS WELL AS
BEHAVIORAL AND COGNITIVE ISSUES. >> MOST AT RISK, INFANTS.
>> IT'S A PARTICULAR RISK TO THE INFANT BECAUSE OF THE AMOUNT OF
LIQUID THAT THEY CONSUME RELATIVE TO THEIR BODY SIZE.
>> BUT THAT DOESN'T MEAN ADULTS ARE TOTALLY SAFE EITHER.
>> IT CAN CAUSE DAMAGE TO THE HEART AND KIDNEYS AND BRAIN, IT
CAN CAUSE HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE, AND IT CAN ALSO CAUSE INCREASED
RISK OF CANCER. >> IT'S CRITICAL.
IT'S JUST TIME. WE'VE BEEN KIND OF TAKING A GO
AT THIS FOR SEVERAL YEARS, MAYBE EVEN A DECADE OR TWO, BUT NOW IS
THE TIME. WE WANT SAFE WATER FOR
EVERYBODY. >> WELL, FRANKLY I T WAS TIME
DECADES AGO. >> TOM PEREZ IS A SENIOR ADVISER
TO PRESIDENT BIDEN AND THE HEAD OF INTERGOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS AT
THE WHITE HOUSE. >> THE SCIENCE IS CLEAR.
LEAD, WHETHER IT IN DRINKING WATER, WHETHER IT'S IN PAINT,
ANY INGESTION OF LEAD IS POTENTIALLY A KILLER.
>> ROSENBERG HAS BEEN WORKING WITH PEREZ AND OTHER FEDERAL
OFFICIALS TO SECURE FUNDING FROM BIDEN'S AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN
ACT, WHICH RELEASED BILLIONS IN FUNDING FOR LEAD PIPE
REPLACEMENT. >> BECAUSE WE HA VE MONEY, A
CRAZY AMOUNT OF MONEY FOR THE FIRST TIME IN, I MEAN, MY
GENERATION. >> WAUSAU IS SET TO RECEIVE
$80 MILLION IN FUNDING FOR THEIR EFFORT.
THAT MONEY WILL GO TOWARDS CONSTRUCTION COSTS AND TRAINING
EFFORTS FOR LOCAL PLUMBERS. >> WE HAVE PEOPLE REACHING OUT
TO US LIKE I'M A PLUMBER, I WANT TO DO THIS.
SO WE THINK WE'LL BE ABLE TO TRAIN AND HIRE MANY PEOPLE,
WHICH IS ALSO GOING TO BE A GREAT BENEFIT FOR THE REST OF
THE STATE. >> AS MORE PLUMBERS ARE TRAINED,
THE NUMBER OF PIPES REPLACED WILL INCREASE.
>> WE'RE STARTING WITH 500 PIPES NEXT YEAR, WHICH IS A HUGE
INCREASE OVER WHAT WE USUALLY DO BETWEEN 20 AND 40 A YEAR.
>> THE TARGET FOR YEAR ONE IS 500 PIPES, THAT NUMBER WILL
DOUBLE TO 1,000 IN 2025, AND INCREASE EACH SUCK SE FIF YEAR.
THE NUMBERS ARE REALISTIC, BECAUSE A MAJOR BARRIER TO LEAD
PIPE REPLACEMENT HAS BEEN LIFTED. >> IT'S A LOT MORE D
IFFICULT FOR THE PRIVATE SIDE BECAUSE
TYPICALLY THE PROPERTY OWNER IS RESPONSIBLE FOR PAYING FOR THAT
REMOVAL. >> BUT IN W IN WAUSA U --
>> THERE IS NO COST TO THE HOME OTHER THANS.
>> PROIFT HOMEOWNERS DON'T HAVE TO PAY A DIME.
>> I WENT BACK AND FORTH WITH A PERSON WHO SAID THERE'S NO WAY
THIS IS FREE, THERE'S NO WAY, YOU'RE GOING TO PUT A LIEN ON MY
PROPERTY, YOU'RE GOING TO FORCE ME TO PAY FOR IT, YOU'RE GOING
TO TEAR UP MY YARD. I SAID, NO, WE'RE NOT ALLOWED
TO, BASED ON THIS MONEY THAT WE'RE ACCEPTING.
>> THE COST TO THE HOMEOWNER ARE NOTHING.
THE BENEFITS OF GOOD HEALTH ARE PRICELESS. >> SO WHILE WINTER
TAKES HOLD OF THE STATE, WAUSAU IS ALREADY
PREPARING FOR SPRING CONSTRUCTION.
FOR "HERE AND NOW," I'M NATHAN DENZIN IN WAW SHAW.
>> FOR MORE ON THIS AND OTHER ISSUES FACING WISCONSIN, VISIT
OUR WEBSITE AT PBSWISCONSIN.ORG OUR WEBSITE AT PBSWISCONSIN.ORG