4 NJ Democrats Want Federal Funds For Newark’s Lead Water Crisis

NEWARK, NJ — A quartet of high-profile Democrats in New Jersey are pushing to make federal funds available to Newark as the city deals with its ongoing lead contamination crisis.

On Monday, U.S. Senators Bob Menendez and Cory Booker and U.S. Congressmen Albio Sires and Donald Payne Jr., who both represent parts of Newark, called on the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to provide federal resources to the city.

The funds would help Newark to expand and administer blood screenings for lead, which it’s been offering for children under six-years-old, the lawmakers said.

The city recently began handing out bottled water for residents in the Pequannock service area after the U.S. EPA said water filters – a key element of officials’ plan to fight the contamination – may not be working as expected.

Nearly 15,000 homes may be affected by corroding lead services lines, one of the suspected causes of the city's water woes.

>> Lead In Newark: Feds Say Use Bottled Water, Filters Unreliable

“This means that those most susceptible to lead poisoning, pregnant women and children under five, may have been exposed to dangerous levels of lead through their drinking water,” the federal lawmakers wrote in a letter to Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue.

According to the legislators, the USDA and Food and Nutrition Services (FNS) are uniquely positioned to provide immediate assistance to Newark, the New Jersey Department of Health (NJDOH) through the federal Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) and the New Jersey Department of Agriculture (NJDA).”

Specifically, the lawmakers requested the USDA allow the NJDOH to use WIC funds to conduct blood lead tests on WIC participants at WIC clinics in Newark, and provide additional funding for NJDOH to open an additional and temporary WIC clinic in Newark to assist in immediately conducting these blood lead tests. They also requested that Secretary Perdue use his authority to distribute to the NJDA additional emergency food assistance rich in calcium, iron, and Vitamin C, which may help limit the absorption of lead in the body, to already-eligible households.

The four lawmakers urged the USDA to offer additional assistance to serve the immediate needs of Newark residents affected by known or suspected lead service lines, including making temporary changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and WIC.

Read their full letter to the USDA.

Earlier this week, the four legislators called on the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to assist state and local efforts to deliver safe drinking water to Newark residents.

The city's mayor, Ras Baraka, has also advocated to bring federal funds to Newark.

In January, Baraka sent a letter to President Donald Trump in the wake of his highly watched "border wall" speech to the nation. During his speech, Trump insisted that building a wall would help combat what he called a national security crisis, a stance that many experts have questioned.

In his letter, Baraka implored Trump to give up the idea of building a $5 billion wall and instead put the money to work solving a more pressing need… fixing the nation's ailing, aging water infrastructure. (Read the full letter here)

Story continues below

'EMPTY PROMISES AND HALLOWED IDEAS'

Some local activists and residents have questioned the sincerity of elected officials' recent attention to Newark's mounting water crisis, however.

On Tuesday, the Newark Water Coalition offered Patch the following statement:

"Newark residents have been facing this public health crisis for over a year now. The Newark Water Coalition has been trying to get Congressman Payne Jr. and Senator Booker involved for some time. We believe they’re only weighing in because of the current media attention. Our local officials, Mayor Baraka and City Council members have ignored our voices for quite some time, too. We've been going to city council meetings to speak about this public health crisis, we've conducted teach-ins and community forums about the lead in our water, we've gone door to door to share information about the lead in our water, we've collaborated with Dr. Mona from Flint, Michigan, we've tested residents' water for lead and we've distributed water filters and now we're distributing bottled water. Most importantly, we're Newark residents. We pay taxes and water bills."

The group continued:

"The Newark Water Coalition is willing to have honest and transparent public discussions with Mayor Baraka, Governor Murphy, Congressman Payne Jr., Congressman Sires, Senator Booker and Senator Menendez. We will not accept empty promises and hallowed ideas. Their solutions must come with funding, timelines, and be socially sustainable or we don't want to hear it. While Newark residents remain voiceless and thrown under the table during a public health crisis, Assemblyman Holley has stepped up to provide bottled water to Newark residents and give us a voice. We believe Assemblyman Holley has made a reasonable request for Governor Murphy to declare a State of Emergency. Newark residents need immediate relief. Also, Assemblyman Holley has extended his compassion even further by agreeing to meet with the Newark Water Coalition."

BOOKER AND NEWARK’S WATER

Sen. Booker, a former mayor and city councilman who still lives in Newark, has seen criticism about his own possible culpability in the city’s ongoing water crisis.

Booker served as the city's mayor from 2006 to 2013. Elevated lead levels were first confirmed in Newark in 2017.

Booker previously served as chairman of the now-shuttered Newark Watershed Conservation and Development Corp. while a multi-million kickback scheme was in play at the agency. A federal judge eventually dismissed a lawsuit against Booker; he’s maintained that he was unaware of the scam.

Since Newark’s water woes have gone public, Booker – who announced he’s running for president in February – has been a vocal advocate of bringing the city some financial relief.

In May, Booker introduced what he dubbed the “Water Infrastructure Funding Transfer Bill,” which would allow states that are "facing a threat to public health from lead" to transfer federal grant dollars from their Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF) to their Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF).

Ultimately, the cash shuffle would help get some extra funds to cities that are struggling with lead in their drinking water… including Newark, Booker said.

• See related article: Sen. Booker Says His Bill Would Help Newark With Its Water Woes

Don’t forget to visit the Patch Newark Facebook page. Learn more about posting announcements or events to your local Patch site. Send local news tips and correction requests to eric.kiefer@patch.com