Newark and state officials are promising more answers soon, after finding that at least three city homes were still being served by lead pipes even after a massive undertaking to excise lead from residential lines. But several community members say they feel left in the dark, more than a month after inspections turned up the problem.
The findings surprised residents, community activists and local officials alike, because the city was touted as a national example of how to solve a lead water crisis. Newark rapidly replaced more than 23,000 water service lines in a herculean effort that began in 2019, which Vice President Kamala Harris called a “role model” for the rest of the country. Yet officials have yet to announce which homes are affected or say if they think others are at risk.
The city and state officials conducting the probe haven’t yet said anything about the information they received that led them to the three homes, or how much further they suspect the problem may go. State officials say they may look beyond the city at work done around the state, but haven’t given any indication of how many other communities could be affected. They’ve said a third party appears to shoulder the blame for incomplete work, but haven’t said who that party is and what other lead remediation work they’ve done in Newark or other parts of New Jersey.
But a spokesperson for the state’s Department of Environmental Protection told Gothamist that officials should have an update on the investigation in a week or two. A spokesperson for Mayor Ras Baraka referred questions to the DEP, which is working with Newark on the investigation.
“It’s a huge blemish on the city and state. So now they’re scrambling to really find out and do their due diligence.” said Newark resident Yvette Jordan, an environmental activist and chair of the Newark Education Workers Caucus. She was part of a group of community members invited to a meeting with officials the day after the news broke…
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