OCONOMOWOC, Wis. — The city of Oconomowoc sends out a message: lead has been found in water samples. The city tested 32 water samples over the summer and found unsafe levels of lead in four of them — a result that impacts hundreds of homes across the city.
The lead is not coming from the water itself, but from laterals — the pipes that carry water from the main water line to individual homes. The city says at least 1,000 homes have lead laterals. Some of those laterals are city-owned, while others are privately owned. They are listed by address here on this map.
After the city posted on social media about the unsafe lead levels, TMJ4 News went to the neighborhoods affected. Some homeowners already knew.
"They have been notifying us for years," one resident said.
"It has been that way for almost 100 years," another said.
Others were caught off guard.
"That is crazy. We just moved in," one resident said.
Homeowner Amy Reid said she had no idea her water tested positive for lead.
"No, I did not know that," Reid said.
Reid said she is worried about her children. There is no safe level of lead exposure for kids. Lead exposure can cause developmental delays, behavioral and attention problems, hearing loss, kidney damage, and a variety of other health issues in children.
The city says it is notifying families who are affected. At a city council meeting Tuesday, officials said they moved quickly once results came in.
"We had to put out a notice right away. We had certain time constraints to do that," said Mark Frye, Oconomowoc city administrator. "The water we pump doesn't have lead in it.”
The city estimates lateral replacement costs between $4,000 and $6,000. For many homeowners, that price tag is out of reach, leaving filters as their only option.
"We definitely can't afford to do anything to dig out our pipe; it is thousands," homeowner Marissa Nesser said.
"That is not cheap at all. I would have to take a loan out," Reid said.
Residents who want to know if their home is affected can look it up on the city’s site here.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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