In the fall of 2025, as part of a pilot program anticipating future testing requirements and a less than 5 ppb recommended level for lead in schools, Milwaukee Water Works tested water at a subset of primary schools in Milwaukee Public Schools. Result letters were sent in November and December.
As of late January, MPS had not publicly shared the pilot program’s test results, and it was unclear whether any individual schools had received the letters or been able to share the results with their communities, or what the next steps are for the MWW pilot program.
Get The Lead Out, a grassroots coalition fighting for the removal of toxic lead pipe infrastructure in Milwaukee, obtained these letters through a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) open records request and shared them with Lead-Safe Schools MKE.
The test results show many elementary schools in the district have high lead concentrations. Many exceed the limit of 1 ppb recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), and some even exceed the less stringent, school-recommended limit of 5 ppb that has been adopted in several states in school settings, as well as the new EPA limit of 10 ppb that will go into effect in November of 2027. (The Environmental Protection Agency’s current action level for lead in drinking water in a general setting is 15 ppb.)
Notably, however, all but three water samples identified as filtered tested below 1 ppb, highlighting the importance of well-maintained water filtration in schools.
The pilot program involved testing potential drinking water sources for lead and copper at 29 schools, a subset of the more than 140 campuses in MPS. The testing “was performed in anticipation of the primary school water testing requirements included in the EPA’s Lead and Copper Rule Improvements, which are effective November 1, 2027,” according to MWW.
For a decade already, the AAP has recommended an even lower limit for children. “State and local governments should take steps to ensure that water fountains in schools do not exceed water lead concentrations of 1 ppb,” AAP advised in a policy statement published in 2016.
No amount of lead has been determined to be safe.
In addition to sampling water from filtered drinking fountains, MWW’s pilot program also tested water from unfiltered taps that may not be intended for drinking but could potentially be used for drinking, cooking or medical procedures. Examples: a classroom sink at Carmen Northwest tested at 69.4 ppb; the unfiltered line of a garbage disposal sink in the Trowbridge Street School kitchen tested at 19.9 ppb; a kitchen tap at Bay View Montessori tested at 18 ppb; and a nurse’s office sink at Townsend Street School tested at 254 ppb.
Each MWW results letter includes a color-coded guidance chart, with lead concentrations below 1 ppb in green, below 5 ppb in yellow, and above 5 ppb in red. Any test result above 5 ppb requires immediate action, including restricting access and posting “clear signage indicating water should not be used for drinking.”
Lead levels can vary and the results only represent one moment in time, according to MWW.
“Eliminating any lead sources and testing on a routine basis are the best ways to better understand and mitigate the risks of lead in water,” Michelle Natarajan, MWW’s water quality manager, wrote in the letters.
Natarjan urged schools to “communicate your results, future testing plans, and remediation efforts with parents and staff, which will build confidence in the MPS system’s ability to provide a safe and healthy learning environment.”
Despite these recommendations MPS has told Lead-Safe Schools MKE that they do not intend on conducting widespread routine water testing and they have failed to provide a mechanism for the public to monitor regular filter replacements. They continue to fail to report important data to the public, including the readings from the water pilot testing discussed here.
Lead-Safe Schools MKE calls on MPS to filter all water sources in kitchens, nurse or medical areas, lounges, and drinking water sources and to empower individual schools to communicate results and next steps with families. Water filtration clearly works, but only if maintained well. Therefore we also call on MPS and schools to share specific plans for filtration upkeep, such as filter replacement logs, and to report results of regular re-testing.
Click through to see each school’s test results:
Green Tree Prep (Webster) and copper retest
Spanish Immersion School (Upper Campus)
