Newark Clean Water Activists Keep Pressure On Elected Officials

NEWARK, NJ — Never underestimate the power of a group of people who want to create change, a coalition of Newark activists say.

As New Jersey’s largest city continues to battle an ongoing lead crisis in thousands of homes, a group of residents called the Newark Water Coalition have raised more than $10,000 to help them fight for clean water. On Monday, the group got a $5,325 donation from the Shia Muslim Community, which founding organizer Anthony Diaz called “absolutely amazing.”

See the online fundraising campaign.

Monday's donation was the latest swell of support for the coalition, which will use the funds to purchase filters for residents, produce educational materials and hand out free bottled water.

Local officials have kicked off a massive, $120 million effort to replace privately owned lead service lines – one of the main suspected causes of the contamination – at nearly 18,000 homes. In the meanwhile, thousands of residents have been using bottled water to cook, clean and drink.

• See related article: Newark Replacing Lead Pipes In Homes; 800 Done, 17000 To Go
• See related article: Worry, Relief In Newark As City Replaces Pipes (VIDEO)

City officials have assured the public that everything possible is being done to protect Newark residents from lead contamination. But there’s more work to be done, the Newark Water Coalition insists.

On Monday, the group announced that it’s kicking its efforts into high gear with a statewide campaign in support of the Water Infrastructure Funding Transfer Act, a federal bill supported by U.S. Senators Cory Booker and Bob Menendez.

"Right now, some states, including my home state of New Jersey, have federal funds available but are restricted from using them to address lead in drinking water," Booker said about the bill. "This legislation would give New Jersey the flexibility to supplement Newark's bonding package and provide immediate assistance to Newark residents."

• See related article: Booker, Menendez To Newark: Hang On, Help From Feds Is Coming

The Newark Water Coalition said its members will be staging actions at officers of each member of New Jersey’s Congressional Delegation in order to secure the passage of the bill.

“While this is not a solution to the lead water crisis – the city of Newark alone is costing over $100 million dollars to replace their lead infrastructure – this is a step towards taking the liability of replacing these pipes off the taxpayers of Newark,” the coalition stated.

It won’t be the first outreach the group has made to elected officials in the Newark and New Jersey area. In addition to Booker, its members have reached out to U.S. Rep. Donald Payne Jr., who represents Newark, and Mayor Ras Baraka seeking more action on the city’s water crisis.

During a meeting with Payne, the group urged him to support the federal Water Act of 2019, which would dedicate a whopping $35 billion for infrastructure improvements across the nation. His reaction was encouraging, the Newark Water Coalition reported:

“Hours after our meeting with Congressman Payne Jr., his office sent us an email signifying that [he] would co-sponsor that piece of legislation. This is a huge step forward for the Newark Water Coalition and we are grateful for the support of the Congressman on that bill.”

“We also invited the Congressman Payne Jr. to attend a water distribution event hosted by the coalition on a weekly basis and asked him to consider donating water for distribution,” the group stated. “He responded stating that he would work to make that happen. We see this commitment to donate and attend our event as a sign of his commitment to clean water for his constituents.”

The group said that while it wasn’t able to get a face-to-face with Sen. Booker, they did manage to get a meeting with one of his staff members, who filled them in about the Water Infrastructure Funding Transfer Act.

The group has also tried to arrange a meeting with Mayor Baraka, but has been unsuccessful as of Monday, its members said.

According to the coalition – which recently spearheaded a clean water protest at the MTV Video Music Awards – even though repairs are already underway, keeping the pressure on elected officials is still important.

“As a direct result of the pressure the coalition and our allied organizations are putting on the city, we have begun to see drastic measures put in place,” the coalition charged. “The city has begun distributing water filters and water bottles, secured a loan to replace the lead pipes, and expedited the installation of the new pipes. This is evidence of the fact that when people come together and speak out, action will follow.”

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