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NJ finds unexpected lead in more Newark residential water lines
By
Charles Lane
Published Mar 20, 2024
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By
Charles Lane
Published Mar 20, 2024
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New Jersey officials said they’ve found lead components in more Newark residential water lines — the second batch of such discoveries after officials thought they’d completely eliminated lead lines from service to the city’s homes.
State Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Shawn LaTourette said Wednesday that so far, inspectors have found lead components in 12 water service lines at residences that were supposed to have been replaced beginning in 2019. That follows the announcement in February that lead components had been found in lines leading to three homes up to that point.
It’s still unclear how widespread the remaining lead problem is. Officials said they’re continuing to investigate.
LaTourette said the 12 lines were found among 90 that were inspected, after narrowing down a pool of 1,300 homes for possible inspection. But he cautioned that because the excavations were targeted, they didn’t constitute a representative sample. He said it shouldn’t be inferred that 13% of Newark's water lines potentially contain lead components, just because 13% of those tested did.
“What I want Newarkers to understand is that this information gives me comfort,” he said in a livestream to update residents Wednesday. “These remaining lead components in a few places is not a citywide risk.”
LaTourette said the audit contained some randomization, but it was largely targeted based on officials’ reviews of documents for the work of subcontractors.
“And then it's informed further by our findings from physical inspections,” he said. “And where properties that may have some inconsistencies in their documentation, we're flagging them for further review.”
More homes could still be inspected going forward, he said.
Some community leaders said there’s still not enough information coming from officials.
“There's 300,000 people in the city of Newark, and you're saying there's a problem somewhere, but we can't tell you where?” Anthony Diaz, executive director of the Newark Water Coalition advocacy organization, said in a phone interview following LaTourette’s stream. “That doesn't help residents know, ‘Is it in my neighborhood?’”
That continued discovery of lead components in some home water lines is a gut punch after the city undertook the herculean task of replacing 23,000 lead pipes beginning in 2019, once federal officials found filters weren’t effectively protecting some residents from elevated lead levels in the city's water. Vice President Kamala Harris even lauded the effort as a national model of how to address a water quality crisis.
City and state officials have previously said the lead components were the fault of a third party — and that some components of lead lines were only partially replaced. But officials have so far been reluctant to share details about which subcontractor or vendor may have failed to conduct a full replacement, where the homes are located or how the targeted audit was conducted.
A Newark spokesperson said officials didn’t want to name any subcontractor before completing a full investigation, for fear of defaming them.
State officials have also previously said the problem could extend beyond Newark, but didn’t give any update on findings outside the city Wednesday.
Newark Mayor Ras Baraka appeared on the stream, but did not answer questions. He first notified residents that lead components remained in some of the city’s water lines accidentally, when part of a private meeting with the Newark City Council was livestreamed.
Tagged
new jersey
housing
Charles Lane
Charles is a Day-of reporter focused on breaking news and enterprise. He’s very friendly and can be reached at [email protected], or more securely on whatsapp/signal 631-295-6715
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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