Big Milestone For Newark's Lead Water Crisis As City Fights Virus

NEWARK, NJ — As Newark’s tragic coronavirus death toll continues to rise, there’s another milestone that’s inspired some hope for local residents: the city’s 10,000th replaced lead service line.

Earlier this week, Newark officials announced that the ongoing effort to replace 18,720 privately owned lead service pipes is continuing full steam ahead, at a rate of up to 100 per day.

The $134 million project – which has seen financial support from federal, state and county sources – is one of the ways the city has been attacking its lead water contamination crisis. Newark has been offering the normally expensive repairs at no cost to homeowners.

• See related article: Newark Water Showing 'Steady Decrease' In Lead, Officials Say
• See related article: Worry, Relief In Newark As City Replaces Pipes (VIDEO)

Despite fighting a simultaneous war with COVID-19, Newark has managed to keep its momentum going on the water safety front, officials said.

The 10,000th line was replaced Friday on the 100-block of Magazine Street.

“We are still aggressively moving full speed ahead with the replacement of all lead service lines in the city, although we have been dealing with the unprecedented outbreak of a virus,” Mayor Baraka stated. “In the midst of what is going on, providing our residents with access to clean drinking water remains a high priority.”

“We want people to know these [people] are out here working, even through the coronavirus pandemic … it didn’t slow us down a bit,” Sewer Utilities Director Kareem Adeem said. “This is a big milestone for the residents of Newark and we want to thank them for their help and support over the last year.”

It didn’t hurt that the weather was generally nice, officials added.

“We’ve had good organization to move quickly down blocks and we couldn’t have asked for a better winter,” said Tiffany Stewart, assistant director of Newark’s Water and Sewer Department.

Story continues below

CLEAN WATER FOR NEWARK

Community groups and residents haven’t forgotten about the city’s lead water crisis, either.

The Newark Water Coalition, which has been on the forefront of the clean water battle in the Brick City, has continued to push for progress over the past few months.

Last month, Díaz and Madelyn Hoffman, the New Jersey Green Party candidate for U.S. Senate in 2020, held a virtual town hall discussion about the new coronavirus. Díaz emphasized that the lead pipe replacement work isn't over yet, and the coronavirus is impacting the effort to keep residents safe in the meanwhile.

For example, because of panic-based hoarding and purchase limits in Newark, the Newark Water Coalition found itself unable to buy bottled water in bulk for in-need community members, he said.

Díaz also posed another question: Why was a state of emergency declared so quickly for the new coronavirus, but not for Newark's lead water crisis?

• See related article: Newark Activist, Green Party Candidate Discuss Coronavirus Crisis
• See related article: No State Of Emergency For Newark Water Crisis, Gov. Murphy Says

Send local news tips and correction requests to eric.kiefer@patch.com

Don’t forget to visit the Patch Newark Facebook page. Learn more about posting announcements or events to your local Patch site. Sign up for Patch email newsletters.