Four years after Flint, Michigan's water crisis caught the world's attention, the city's citizens are still without a long term solution. Now, it appears the citizens of another city are dealing with a similar crisis.
Newark, New Jersey officials promised residents that their water supply was fine for nearly a year and a half, but that wasn't entirely true, The New York Times reports.
In actuality, the city had, and has, a widespread lead issue affecting its taps. The severity of the problem came to light following the implementation of a 2016 state rule that mandates test for lead in the drinking water be conducted every six months. The rule went into effect months after lead was discovered in the city's schools.
“The parallels to Flint are fairly clear," Erik Olson, head of the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) said. "The city was denying a problem even though its own data was showing problems. Newark is not as extreme as Flint but still a serious problem.”
The NRDC has filed a lawsuit against the city, claiming it violated federal safe drinking water laws, including not properly inserting chemical additives to prevent lead from getting into the water pipes.
Months before Newark announced plans to provide filters to some residents, @NRDC donated filters to local community groups for distribution. Together with @NEWCaucus, we're fighting in court to ensure that Newark residents have access to safe water: https://t.co/GB1FQRwXK8
— NRDC ???? (@NRDC) October 31, 2018
The NRDC's website states, "The high lead levels are especially alarming because there has been long-standing concern about children’s exposure to toxic lead levels in Newark. For years, the city has had the greatest number of lead-poisoned children in New Jersey. This likely stems from a variety of exposures to lead, including from contaminated tap water and other sources. Indeed, 2016 tests revealed 30 public schools with elevated water lead levels."
For most of this year, Newark's website read: "NEWARK’S WATER IS ABSOLUTELY SAFE TO DRINK.”
A banner at the top of the website now reads: "IF YOU NEED A FREE WATER FILTER LEARN HOW TO GET ONE BY CLICKING HERE."
Mayor Ras Baraka denies there is an actual crisis.
“When you make a statement that the drinking water is not safe, it is yelling fire in a crowded room,” Barack argued at a recent news conference. “In fact, Newark has some of the best drinking water. The problem is that our infrastructure is not safe.”
“The city’s water coming out of the reservoir is safe,” said Newark Department of Water and Sewer Utilities assistant director Kareem Adeem. “The city’s water leaving the treatment plant is safe; the city’s water entering the city’s distribution system, the city’s water main, is safe. The only problem is when the city’s water enters into those lead lines.”
Now, check these out:
The 4-Year-Old Face Of The Flint Water Crisis Deemed Ineligible For Aid
This Black-Owned Construction Firm Will Replace 18,000+ Contaminated Water Pipes In Flint
