Both cryptosporidium and lead have threatened Milwaukee’s clean drinking water. While there are stark differences in the two water contaminants, what can we learn from how the city dealt with both? First, it’s important to state that cryptosporidium and lead are completely different. Crypto is a bacteria. Lead is a metal. Crypto has one parasitic source, while lead has many (paint, dust, dirt, pipes). Crypto makes people visibly sick, but lead can be in the body for a long time without showing any side effects. Both crypto and lead are widespread risks that reveal vulnerabilities in Milwaukee’s drinking water infrastructure. Let’s start by looking back at the cryptosporidium outbreak in the spring of 1993. “We had many people coming in with severe stomach issues, and the advice given out by a pharmacist or doctor would be told to drink water, stay hydrated, drink more water, take Imodium, you’ll feel better in a few days," recalls Dawn, a pharmacy technician in Milwaukee during the