In the basement of the Dominican Center for Women, basil, cucumbers and geraniums are blooming thanks to the fresh water shipped in to the center, which like many other Milwaukee homes, has lead contaminated water.

“We use the bottled water for the plants because we are trying to grow healthy plants,” said Wesley Landry, garden caretaker and housing specialist for the center. “If we’re going to use city water, (which is) contaminated already, we might as well put them in the ground out here.”

Landry estimates that the center uses 32 five-gallon bottles of water about every month — which can cost about $300. But president of Industry Solutions, Brandon Culpepper hopes to change that by installing one of Milwaukee-based Stonehouse Water Technologies’ WaterPODs into the center’s basement.

“This product is one of a kind, the first in the world. It’s real time technology so it’s going to tell you when the filter needs to be changed (and) how much water usage there is in the building,” Culpepper said. “Once it connects to this unit it’s going to purify all the water in this building.”

The installation, Culpepper said, is part of a project Culpepper’s company Industry Solutions, along with a collection of city leaders, state leaders and grassroots organizers, are spearheading. The group hopes to remove lead from Milwaukee’s water by installing WaterPODs at four other Milwaukee locations — though they haven’t yet chosen the remaining sites, said Culpepper. Read the full story here.