Lead-Safe Wisconsin: The Lead-in-Water Testing and Remediation Initiative
The Wisconsin Lead-in-Water Testing and Remediation (WTR) Initiative works to reduce drinking water hazards in licensed child care centers and Head Start programs across the state.
This free program partners with local public health departments (LPHDs) to test for lead in water at these centers. It then helps impacted facilities take action by offering free remediation for fixtures, including plumbing replacement and installation of water filters.
Why is it important to test for lead in water?
Some old plumbing materials and plumbing fixtures like faucets and water fountains may contain lead. Over time, this lead can enter our drinking water and, when consumed, can enter our bloodstream.
Facilities built before 1986 are most likely to have been built with materials that contain lead, but lead can be in some plumbing fixtures installed as recently as 2014. Because you cannot see, taste, or smell lead in water, testing is the only sure way to tell if there are elevated levels of lead in your drinking water.
Learn more here:
- Basic Information About Lead in Drinking Water (EPA)
- What is Lead Poisoning?
- Sources of Lead: Drinking Water
- Drinking Water: Lead
Information for child care facilities
Your facility can choose whether or not to participate in this voluntary program. You can also decide to participate at a later time if that is more convenient. To get started, fill out the following interest survey or contact your local public health department if you are interested in participating.
Fill out the Lead-in-WTR Initiative's interest survey
There are three main steps to participation in the Lead-in-WTR Initiative:
Step 1: Get enrolled
- Contact your local public health department (LPHD) to learn more about the program, the benefits of participating, and to notify them of your interest in enrolling OR fill out the interest survey and we will give you the resources you need to get involved.
- Communicate your plan to participate with staff and families.
- Work with your LPHD as they gather information and create a unique water sampling plan for your center.
Step 2: Get tested
- Coordinate with your LPHD to test all functioning water outlets in your facility.
- Receive initial water sampling results from your LPHD.
- Coordinate follow-up water sampling with your LPHD if any initial samples exceed the program guidelines. If no initial samples exceed the program guidelines, no additional sampling is needed.
Step 3: Take action
- Receive your final water testing results and information about hazardous water outlets from your LPHD.
- Stop using impacted faucets. Alternately, post signage to alert staff to not use outlets for drinking or cooking.
- Work with the state program coordinators to schedule free plumbing replacement of any drinking or cooking water outlets that are found to be hazardous.
Child care facility FAQ
No. This program is closely partnered with the Department of Children and Families (DCF), who fully encourage participation. This program is here to help, not harm. If we find lead in your water, we will fix it.
Yes! If you rent, your facility, you are still eligible for the program. Just keep in touch with your building owner or landlord. It is your responsibility to get approval for lead-in-water sampling and/or plumbing replacement work, if necessary. Don't forget to mention that the plumbing work is free of charge!
Absolutely. Most tests sample the water before it moves through your building. Our program samples the water after it has interacted with your internal plumbing. This difference is very important. Your municipality water or well water should be safe to drink, but that doesn't mean it isn't coming into contact with lead plumbing somewhere in your building. This program samples the water that comes out of every drinking water fixture to make sure that they're all safe. We'll fix any issues we find!
This program samples all fixtures that are used by the facility and its children for drinking or cooking. Examples of potential sampling locations include:
- Kitchen faucets
- Bathroom faucets
- Classroom faucets
- Drinking fountains, bubblers, and water coolers
- Maintenance sinks
- Hose bibs
- Hand-washing sinks
- Staff faucets
- Laundry sinks
Our program works with local plumbers to replace your fixtures. The cost of replacement will not be billed to you. Faucets will be replaced with an equivalent lead-free faucet. When possible, drinking fountains and bubblers will be replaced with a new fountain and filtered water bottle filler. Once a fixture is replaced, your sampling team will take one more sample to ensure that all lead-in-water problems have been fixed.
During our initial visit, we take a sample from every eligible water outlet. This means that the time it takes for sampling varies largely from facility to facility. On average, it takes about 1 hour to complete testing. If you have very few fixtures, the time could be closer to 30 minutes or less.
Any required follow-up sampling visits will take much less time.
Information for Local Public Health Department partners
The Lead-in-Water Testing and Remediation Initiative creates contracts with Local Public Health Departments (LPHDs) to provide lead-in-water testing and remediation services to child care facilities.
We are always looking for new partners! The contracting period for this program is open to accommodate the variable schedules of eligible child care facilities. Responsibilities for local public health department grantees include:
- Conducting outreach to eligible child care facilities.
- Completing a 1-hour training on the EPA's 3Ts.
- Conducting up to 3 water testing visits per participating child care.
- Communicating lead-in-water results with participating child care facilities.
Staff time, travel, and sample bottle shipping costs are all reimbursable.
Interested in becoming a program partner? Get in touch!
About the water testing process and your results
The Lead-in-Water Testing and Remediation Initiative follows the EPA's 3Ts water testing protocols. Following these protocols, a child care center may require up to 3 rounds of sampling and up to 3 rounds of remediation.
Here's how the sampling process works:
During the initial round of sampling, one stagnant water sample is taken from all eligible water fixtures.
A stagnant water sample means taking a sample after the water sits in the plumbing for an extended period of time. For this initiative, the ideal stagnation period is between 8 and 18 hours. If water sits in plumbing for too long, it can inflate the result. This means that the result shows a higher hazard that there really is.
Water testing results are shown in parts-per-billion (ppb) lead in water. The program's current response trigger is 10 ppb. This response trigger aligns with the EPA's future lead action level, as set by the Lead-in-Copper Rule Improvements. While the EPA's current lead action level is 15 ppb, it will lower to 10 ppb on November 1, 2027.
Why do we use a remediation trigger? Unfortunately, lead was such a common plumbing material for so long that most water samples taken in Wisconsin show some level of lead. In order to make the biggest impact throughout the community, this program focuses on fixing the water fixtures with the greatest hazards. As the average lead-in-water level decreases, the program will adjust its remediation trigger to match.
Initial sampling results, explained
Lead-in-water results can vary from day to day. If you are concerned about a result, please don't hesitate to contact your local health department or to get in touch with the Lead-in-Water Testing and Remediation Initiative team.
| Lead-in-water result | Recommended actions | Next Steps |
|---|---|---|
| ND (Non-detect) or <0.3 ppb | No lead was found in the water, or it didn't exceed the lab's detection level. Continue normal usage. | No additional sampling needed.
|
< 10 ppb (Below the program's remediation trigger) | Lead was detected, but the levels did not exceed the program's remediation trigger.
| No additional sampling needed.
|
10 ppb (Equal to or above the program's remediation trigger) | Lead was detected, and the levels exceed the program's remediation trigger.
| Next steps for drinking water sources:
Next steps for non-drinking water sources (hose bibs, utility sinks):
|
Between initial sampling and follow-up sampling, centers are asked to complete the first phase of remediation: cleaning their aerators.
Aerators are the mesh parts at the end of a faucet. They mix air into the water, which levels out the water pressure and reduces water usage. They also act as a filter for small debris, including lead particles.
Because of this, it is very important for facilities to regularly clean them out. Lead particles that get trapped in the aerator can leach into drinking water, especially if the water sits in the faucet for a long time.
For all drinking water fixtures that produced results over 10 ppb:
- Remove the aerator. Aerators are designed to unscrew from the end of your faucet. This can be done by hand, with a rubber grip, or with an adjustable wrench or pliers. Wrapping the aerator in a soft cloth can prevent scratches.
- Disassemble the aerator. Once removed, take the aerator apart. It usually consists of a screen, housing, and a rubber washer. Note the order of these parts for easy reassembly.
- If any parts are broken, new washers and aerators can easily be found online or at the hardware store and are largely affordable.
- Clean the screen. Us an old toothbrush to scrub away debris. If anything remains in the mesh, you can also place the parts in a bowl of vinegar or warm, soapy water and let them soak for 15-30 minutes. This can help to loosen debris and dissolve hard mineral deposits.
- Rinse thoroughly. Rinse all parts under running water. A toothpick small brush can help clean the tiny holes in the aerator screen.
- Reassemble and reattach. Once dry and clean, reassemble the aerator and screw it back onto the faucet. Securely tighten but avoid overtightening.
For more a step-by-step guide with pictures, visit: Cleaning Your Aerators (MI)
Follow-up sampling is scheduled if any drinking water fixtures from the initial sampling step produced results above 10 ppb.
Follow-up sampling is not scheduled if:
- No results exceeded 10 ppb.
- Some results exceeded 10 ppb, but only on fixtures that should not be used for drinking or cooking.
Follow-up sampling takes two samples from every drinking water fixture that produced results above 10 ppb in the initial round of sampling. Normally, this means that only a few fixtures are being sampled, which allows the process to be much faster.
Sample 1: Another stagnant water draw. The first sample follows the same process as before. A stagnant sample is taken from every fixture requiring follow-up. This sets a baseline level for the day and helps the sampling team confirm whether the initial sample was accurate.
Sample 2: Flush sample. The second sample is taken after water is run through the fixture for 30 seconds. This flushes out all stagnant water and helps the sampling team determine where the lead is coming from.
Follow-up sampling results, explained
| Results per fixture | Result breakdown | Next steps | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Both samples are below the remediation trigger. | Remediation successful. Cleaning the aerator likely removed the lead hazard. | No additional sampling needed. Retest in 5 years. | ||||||
The stagnant sample is above the remediation trigger; the flush sample is below the remediation trigger. | Remediation unsuccessful. Cleaning the aerator did not remove all lead hazards. A stagnant water sample above the remediation trigger and a flush sample below the remediation trigger indicates lead is likely being introduced by the water outlet or faucet. We can determine this because flushing the fixture removed the stagnant water from the faucet and did not show a continued issue father back in the system. | Fixture replacement suggested. Contact the program coordinator to schedule a time for plumbing remediation. | ||||||
Both samples are above the remediation trigger. | Remediation unsuccessful. Cleaning the aerator did not remove all lead hazards. A stagnant water sample above the remediation trigger and a flush sample above the remediation trigger indicates lead may be in the fixture and other parts of the building. We can determine this because flushing the fixture removed the stagnant water from the faucet, but the lead levels did not drop below the remediation trigger. | Fixture replacement not suggested. The program will send out an NSF 53 certified water filter to remediate this fixture. | ||||||
The stagnant sample is below the remediation trigger; the flush sample is above the remediation trigger. | Inconclusive. This is a rare result. Sometimes, it indicates an accidental swap of labels or a mix-up at the lab. It could also indicate contamination when sampling, such as scraping the sample bottle on the lip of the fixture. | Inconclusive result. Re-sampling recommended. |
Plumbing remediation is suggested if:
- The fixture's stagnant water sample was equal to or over 10 ppb.
- The fixture's flush sample was below 10 ppb.
Any other follow-up sampling results indicate that plumbing remediation is either not necessary or unlikely to be effective.
Plumbing remediation includes (but is not limited to):
- Replacing the water fixture with a modern equivalent.
- Installing filtered cold water taps in high-use areas.
- Replacing a water fountain or bubbler with a filtered water bottle filler.
If your facility needs plumbing remediation, fixture replacements, or fixture upgrades, please work with the program coordinator to identify a suitable plumber and schedule a time for the work to take place.
Final sampling only takes place if a water fixture has been replaced. It allows the team to confirm that a plumbing replacement was successful in removing the lead hazard.
Final sampling is not necessary on filtered water fixtures, such as filtered water taps or filtered bottle fillers.
Final sampling takes one stagnant sample from all fixtures that were replaced.
Post-plumbing remediation sampling considerations:
- It is common for lead-in-water results to remain elevated up to 6 months after plumbing remediation.
- If you want a second confirmatory sample taken 6 months out from your plumbing remediation work, please don't hesitate to get in touch.
- Plumbing remediation can knock loose lead scale from the sides of pipes. Once replacement is complete and the water is turned back on, this scale can be flushed into the new aerator. Always clean out your aerators after plumbing work!
Final sampling results, explained
| Result | Results breakdown | Next steps |
|---|---|---|
| < 10 ppb | Plumbing remediation was successful. | No additional work necessary. |
| 10 ppb | Plumbing remediation may not have been successful. | Water filtration recommended. Optional steps:
|
If lead-in-water levels remain elevated after all other steps are complete, the program suggests installing point-of-use lead-in-water filtration.
Point-of-use water filters are used at the very end of a plumbing system, such as at the end of a faucet. This means that no lead can be re-introduced to the water after filtration. Point-of-use filters differ from whole-house of whole-building filters in this way. Whole-house and whole-building filters filter the water when it enters the building, meaning lead can still be introduced to the water later on from internal sources like pipes, solder, and outlets.
The Lead-in-WTR Initiative will provide NSF 53-certified water filters to any eligible child care facility that reaches this point in the testing and remediation process.
Learn more about water filters:
Participant testimonials
Hear from child care providers about their experience with the program:
"Thank you for offering this service. We would not have had our water tested if not for this program."
"Glad the program was available to us and gives me peace of mind."
"This test is now a requirement for our accreditation. I was happy that it was free and so easy to do."
"At first I was worried, but, when the very professional people arrived, they just did their job, and it took less than half an hour. They only focused on their work."
"The employee completing the testing was amazing! He was very helpful with follow up needed and second testing. He also provided temporary signage. Wonderful to work with!"