THE PROBLEM-AND WHY?
Tests showed that portions the city and water supply far exceeded the legal limit of lead contamination in New Jersey, 2014: The New Jersey state comptroller published an investigation, which found that the Newark Watershed Conservation and Development Corporation, the agency responsible for keeping the city's water safe, in 2017. 2015: City officials decided to adjust water treatment chemistry in an effort to comply with new EPA regulations. The pH levels in the treatment facility are lowered in an effort to reduce cancer-causing chemicals in the water.2015: City officials decided to adjust water treatment chemistry in an effort to 2015: City officials decided to adjust water treatment chemistry in an effort to lowered in an effort to reduce cancer-causing chemicals in the water. 2015: City officials decided to adjust water treatment chemistry in an effort to comply with new EPA regulations. The pH levels in the treatment facility are lowered in an effort to reduce cancer-causing chemicals in the water 2015.
June 2017: Newark exceeded the federal action level of 15 parts per billion for lead in drinking waters. Approximately 10% of households had twice that amount.
They city failed the next test for lead six months later and got another notice of noncompliance in January 2018.
August 9, 2019: Following recent tests that showed elevated levels of lead in the drinking water of two houses using the filters, the EPA recommended that local officials in Newark distribute bottled water to residents.
August 14, 2019: New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy visited Newark to address the water crisis and called for federal help.
MAJOR CONCERNS!
Lead-contaminated drinking water is threatening the health of Newark’s residents. The levels of lead in Newark, New Jersey’s drinking water are some of the highest recently recorded by a large water system in the United States. And we know the cause: City and state officials are violating the Safe Drinking Water Act. failing to treat its water to prevent lead from flaking off from pipes into residents’ drinking water and neglecting to notify people about the elevated levels and the health risks.
Experts agree that there is no safe level of lead exposure. Pregnant women and children are most at risk: Even low lead levels are associated with serious, irreversible damage to developing brains and nervous systems. Lead exposure is also linked to fertility issues, cardiovascular and kidney problems, cognitive dysfunction, and elevated blood pressure in otherwise healthy adults.
Solutions!?
The City of Newark has initiated a program to distribute over 40,000 National Sanitation Foundation (NSF) Certified water filters to Newark residents. The Department of Water & Sewer Utilities has set up distribution centers throughout the city and is delivering filters door-to-door.
To reduce your lead exposure, the City recommends you install a filter certified by NSF for reducing lead and clean your aerators and filter screens on all faucets every week. Newark is also offering free water testing upon request. Please contact the Department of Water & Sewer Utilities at (973) 733-6370 or waterandsewer@ci.newark.nj.us to schedule testing.
You can use this tool to look up our records for your address and learn if you might have a lead service line and whether you are eligible for an NSF Certified Filter. Simply search for your address below using the search bar at the top-right corner of the map.
The Pipe System
Gov. Phil Murphy, Newark Mayor Ras Baraka and other officials, announced the count will will issue bonds to more quickly eliminate the 18,000 old pipes causing lead to leach into the drinking supply.
Newark’s lead service lines, which connect individual homes to underground mains, will now be replaced in 24-30 months, instead of over a decade. Newark will pay the county $6.2 million annually for 30 years was initially scheduled to take eight to 10 years. $120 million plan to expedite the replacement
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