Newark Schools Confront Elevated Lead Levels: Mayor Calls For Bottled Water Donations

Newark, NJ – As deliveries of bottled water continue to arrive at 30 of Newark’s schools following the discovery of elevated lead levels in the drinking supply, city and school officials continue to urge the community to avoid panic.

“Parents should have no concerns about students’ water and food consumption at the school while the situation is addressed,” the NJ DEP emphasized on Wednesday.

“The water in Newark homes and businesses is safe, and you should in no way alter the ways in which you consume or use it in your daily regimen,” Newark Mayor Ras Baraka stated on Thursday, emphasizing that the issue only exists within the 30 named schools.

“Moreover, the elevated levels found in the samples do not rise to the level of critical nor dangerous,” Baraka stated.

“Parents can be assured that the water and food at your child’s school is safe,” State Superintendent Christopher Cerf wrote in a letter to district parents.

Cerf elaborated on steps that the district is taking in light of the elevated lead levels:

• We are providing bottled water for drinking and food preparation at all schools with one or more samples of elevated levels of lead, including your child’s school
• We have turned off all water fountains at all of these schools
• In restrooms, kitchens, and other locations where water needs to remain on for hand washing or dishwashing, we are placing signs advising that the water is safe for that purpose but not for drinking or food preparation

In addition, free blood level testing is available for parents who are concerned that their children may have been affected, school administrators stated.

Interested parents can contact Shonda Bryant, Childhood Lead Poison Prevention Program Coordinator, 94 William Street in Newark, 973-733-5323. Alternatively, parents can contact Patricia Cummings, WIC Coordinator, 110 William Street in Newark, 973-733-7604.

See a list of the affected schools here.

Read more about Newark officials’ action plan for the upcoming days below.

• See related article: Newark Schools Shut Off Water Taps In 30 Buildings: Elevated Lead Found, DEP Says

BOTTLED WATER

Meanwhile, since Wednesday’s announcement, Newark officials have asked the community to donate bottled water to the affected schools.

One local business to answer the call for bottled water was ShopRite of Newark, which trucked nearly 1,600 cases – or 38,300 bottles – of water at JFK Recreation Center on Friday.

Baraka called on residents to donate two cases of water each, which can be donated at the following locations:

• Boylan Recreation Center 916 South Orange Avenue 973.733.8947 Monday-Friday 11:30-7:30pm Saturday 9:30am- 5:30pm
• Sharpe James/Kenneth A. Gibson (Ironbound) Recreation Center 226 Rome Street 973.733.3707 Tuesday-Friday 9:30am -7:30pm Saturday 9:30am- 5:30pm Closed Mondays
• John F. Kennedy Recreation Center 211 West Kinney St. 973.733.5483 Monday-Friday 9:30-7:30pm Saturday 9:30am- 5:30pm
• Rotunda Recreation Center 75 Clifton Avenue 973.733.3677 Monday-Friday 11:30-7:30pm Saturday 9:30am- 5:30pm

CONCERNED CITIZENS

Not all local leaders were in agreement with authorities’ risk assessments.

"The recent announcement from the New Jersey's Department of Environmental Protection regarding the elevated levels of lead in Newark schools' water is appalling," JNESO District Council 1 Executive Director Douglas Placa stated in a news release on Wednesday afternoon.

JNESO represents the nurses at Newark's Department of Health and Community Wellness.

"Every child throughout the city of Newark and the state should be able to attend school without exposure to toxic, life-altering contamination in their water supply," Placa stated. "On behalf of JNESO District Council 1, we strongly urge the Legislature to pass and the Governor to sign legislation to properly fund the Lead Hazard Control Assistance Fund. We must learn from the mistakes of Flint, Michigan, and protect our children and families from this devastating but preventable contamination."

"As a Newark public school parent, environmental professional, and former School Board member, my heart goes out to my fellow Newarkers," said Kim Gaddy, Clean Water Action's NJ Environmental Justice Organizer and a current candidate for Newark’s School Advisory Board.

"It appears the most immediate situation has been dealt with but a lot more work needs to be done here," continued Gaddy. "This is deja vu all over again. We had this problem when I was on the board over 20 years ago. Newark has a role to play but the state really needs to step up, learn from the experiences of today, and do a much better job managing and avoiding such situations moving forward."

“The DEP says they will use the EPA guidelines for lead in dealing with the schools in Newark,” Jeff Tittel, Director of the New Jersey Sierra Club stated on Thursday. “The problem is that the EPA guidelines are weaker than New Jersey’s standards. Instead of defaulting to the EPA’s levels, the DEP should be using New Jersey’s stricter protections.”

Tittel continued:

“We need more enhanced testing to find out where the problems are originating. We also need to make sure that the water is filtered before it reaches our homes. Why doesn’t Newark have filters in their water? What happened to last year’s tests? There are too many unanswered questions and that’s why we need an independent study done. We need to look into the major sources of this lead. We also need to examine outdated infrastructure and insufficient water storage such as open reservoirs. This is a systemic issue that needs to be dealt with. We need to do a better job of testing throughout the state and fixing these problems. We can’t allow our children to be put at risk especially since in some New Jersey cities, children already have more lead in their blood than those in Flint, Michigan.”

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Caption 1: Neil Greenstein, the owner and operator of the ShopRite of Newark, hands bottled water to Eddie Osborne, Newark council member-at-large, during the water delivery to JFK Recreation Center on Friday, March 11. ShopRite donated 1,600 cases of bottled water to Newark schools.

Caption 2: ShopRite tractor-trailer filled with ShopRite bottled water arrives at the JFK Recreation Center in Newark.

Photos courtesy of BML Public Relations