PILSEN — In an effort to address concerns about potential risks to Pilsen's drinking water supply, an environmental group is hosting a meeting in the neighborhood Tuesday.
Health expert Dr. David E. Jacobs, research director at the National Center for Healthy Housing, will address drinking water concerns at the meeting slated for 6 p.m. Tuesday at the Rudy Lozano Library, 1805 S. Loomis St. The meeting is hosted by Pilsen Environmental Rights and Reform Organization, commonly known as PERRO.
New smart water meters and the installation of new service lines create potential risks of lead contamination to the water supply in the city, said Troy Hernandez, PERRO member. The meeting will focus on possible solutions to contamination risks, he said.
Two Pilsen schools — Pilsen Academy and Perez Elementary — have tested positive for elevated levels of lead in the water, CPS officials confirmed this summer.
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.
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