Did you know there is up to $3.5 billion in federal funds that communities across the nation can access to remove and replace lead lines in their water systems?

Right now, Superior is ineligible for any of this money—not because we don’t need it, but because our water utility is privately owned and Wisconsin law prohibits us from accessing funds like these.

There’s a simple fix: change this law so Superior can access these funds.

Yet earlier this spring, Superior City Council decided against supporting a bill that would change this law and give Superior homeowners a fair shot at removing their lead -- just like everyone else in Wisconsin has the ability to do.

Why would they do that?

Because some of our city councilors, and the Mayor want to take over the water utility. A takeover like that would be incredibly risky, cost millions of dollars, but most importantly would take years. By then, there's a good chance this federal money to help with lead line replacement will be gone.

This shouldn’t be a political debate. The only debate should be: how fast can we say yes to this opportunity?

We as the community of Superior should give resounding support to change this law.

We, the undersigned, urge our elected officials to:

• Publicly support the bill in Madison that would make Superior eligible for federal lead pipe replacement funding;

• Champion and pass this simple legislative fix at the state level;

• Prioritize long-term investment in our drinking water infrastructure over political games.

Let’s get the lead out—before it’s too late.