Chicago’s dirty secret: lead in municipal drinking water

Activists across the South Side of Chicago demand transparency from the Department of Water Management as the city attempts to combat lead contamination in drinking water. While the City has not publicly reported new results since the end of 2021, existing data from the City of Chicago website shows that a significant portion of water tests with elevated lead levels were recorded in Black and Hispanic communities. Mackenzie Tatananni, graduate student at Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism, spoke with Linda Gonzalez, a member of the People’s Council of Southeast Chicago, who is advocating for change following her experience with the city-sponsored Equity Lead Service Line Replacement Program.