Pilsen Water Pollution

Our fight

New smart water meters and the installation of new service lines create potential risks of lead contamination to the water supply in the city.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has been investigating lead contamination in Pilsen since 2011, when the EPA became involved with a cleanup at the former Loewenthal lead factory. The agency tested the soil in residential areas of Pilsen this year.

In November 2015, under an agreement with the EPA, BNSF Railway and H. Kramer began removing lead-contaminated soil from two areas in the Pilsen neighborhood — a railway spur and alley behind the H. Kramer foundry and an area near Benito Juarez Community Academy.