Altoona Notifies Residents of Incomplete Lead Pipe Inventory

City of Altoona officials are warning residents about an inventory error which could have left some lead service pipes in place.

According to a WEAU report, over three thousand homes in the city received a notice about the inventory error from the Public Works department. Their notice warned residents that their inventory project of service lines was incomplete, leaving some service lines unaccounted for. Officials are now working to finish that inventory to ensure that none of the active service lines contain lead.

City of Altoona officials say their hope is to complete that inventory and make it available for all residents in the first quarter of 2025. They also say they haven’t seen any evidence of widespread lead contamination in the service pipes, so they don’t expect the completed inventory to show too many lead contaminated pipes. Still, officials are suggesting that residents pay attention to their drinking water with testing or a filtration system, especially if their home was built prior to 1986 when lead pipes were banned.

Improving water quality has become a major goal for Wisconsin residents. Earlier this year, the City of Chippewa Falls announced their own plans to replace lead service pipes in the area with over $1 million in grant funding from the Department of Natural Resources. The City of Eau Claire also began construction on a PFAS removal facility over the summer to keep the forever chemicals out of the public water supply. That $20 million facility could be open in early 2026.