OSHKOSH — The City of Oshkosh is making identifying lead in your water pipes as easy as snapping a photo.
- You can submit four photos of your pipes and property info to Oshkoshwater.com.
- The city needs to have data on all Oshkosh homes by this fall to submit to the EPA.
- The city says without the data, it will make replacement harder and more expensive.
(The following is a transcription of the full broadcast story with additional details for the web.)
Alicia Kessenich has lived in her Oshkosh home for 18 years. Like many of the homes in her neighborhood, the structure was built in the early 1900s.
In 2022, Kessenich was getting work done on her sewage line when crews noticed a lead water pipe. She immediately wanted it replaced.
“It was just healthy for my family, not to have that lead pipe in our house,” she says.
Kessenich was unaware of the lead pipe prior to the sewage work.
Now, there are processes through the City of Oshkosh Public Works Department to make sure residents can stay informed of the lead risk in their home.
Residents can submit photos online, and public works employees will be able to identify the pipe material.
Four photos are required, and descriptions of each requirement are included in the form.
The hope, according to assistant director of Oshkosh Public Works, Steve Gohde, is to have complete data of all lead pipelines in Oshkosh by the fall.
The city needs to submit the data to the EPA, per federal regulations, in October. They are asking for photos to be submitted by Sept. 1.
Gohde says the city knows replacement can be expensive, but the inspection is just the first step of a several year process.
“Just because we find lead or galvanized now, does not mean you have to replace it immediately,” he says.
Plus, Gohde says the City of Oshkosh is looking into grant opportunities to help cover future costs of replacement.
If you find lead in your water pipes, you can mitigate harmful effects until replacement by using a lead water filter.
If you have any questions, you can reach out to Public Works at (920) 232-5336.
