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