Replacing lead pipes one house at a time is slow and disruptive. Milwaukee is reorganizing the work neighborhood by neighborhood.
Patrick Pauly, superintendent of Milwaukee Water Works, says the city developed a prioritization plan that groups replacements by census block group, allowing contractors to work more efficiently and reducing repeated disruption for residents.
The order is based on three factors: neighborhood disadvantage, elevated blood lead levels among children under six, and the density of lead service lines. The approach directs crews toward areas with the greatest public-health need while creating a predictable pipeline of construction.
Milwaukee averaged about 1,000 replacements annually during the program’s first seven years. It completed 3,329 in 2025 and plans to increase that to 5,000 in 2026 and 5,500 in 2027.
Milwaukee Water Works is working to replace approximately 65,000 lead service lines with copper by 2037. Doing that at scale requires more than additional funding—it requires organizing the work so crews can move quickly, costs can be controlled, and neighborhoods are not repeatedly excavated.
The Milwaukee Water Works Lead Service Line Replacement Program is one of 16 honorees recognized by the Lead Service Line Replacement Collaborative. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/e8sKJvBc
Content supported by Environmental Defense Fund, RESOLVE, and Environmental Policy Innovation Center.
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