Newark finds more lead pipes, but officials say problem not widespread

by Nikita Biryukov, New Jersey Monitor

An ongoing audit found additional lead in Newark water lines that should have been replaced, but state and city on Wednesday said the early findings suggest the problem is not widespread and urged confidence in the city’s water system.

The audit launched in January after city officials were told contractors charged with replacing lead service lines may have left some lead pipes in the ground. It found remaining lead lines at 12 locations, up from three when officials announced the audit in early February.

Newark Water and Sewer Director Kareem Adeem said the lead pipes were found after Newark officials excavated water lines at 90 properties selected for further scrutiny after officials reviewed contracts and other documents related to the replacement. The lead pipes have since been replaced, Adeem said.

“That we’ve identified only 12 instances out of 90 excavations out of over 1,300 points of evaluation, it gives us added comfort that these remaining lead components is not a citywide risk or concern,” Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Shawn LaTourette said during a Facebook livestream. “There is no reason for Newarkers to panic.”

When officials announced the audit in February, they had little sense of the problem’s scale, and it was unclear how many of the roughly 23,000 lead service lines Newark replaced remained in the ground.

LaTourette said the audit would continue well into April, and perhaps beyond.

In 2016, state and federal authorities reported elevated lead levels in multiple Newark schools. The city launched a voluntary lead replacement program in 2018. The program expanded in 2019 to an ambitious plan that would replace all of the city’s lead service lines without cost to residents, a project Newark declared finished ahead of schedule in 2021.

The city has not returned to those early days of crisis, Adeem said.

“We’re just doing an audit to ensure what we committed to doing back in 2018 — replace every single lead service line in the city — that it was completed the proper way,” he said. “This is an audit. Not a water contamination or a water crisis.”

Officials did not name any of the vendors responsible for the partial replacements. Officials likewise did not say whether investigators had made any criminal referrals.

A 2021 New Jersey law that calls for all the state’s lead lines to be replaced by 2031 also requires lead lines be replaced in full — from meter to water main — a higher bar than is present under federal law.

Adeem said no costs related to the additional water line replacements would be borne by Newark residents, noting the city could recoup that money from delinquent vendors.

“The companies that we contracted with, all of them put performance bonds or maintenance bonds, so if we want to recoup money later on, that’s another avenue we may want to revisit,” he said.

Officials again urged Newark residents to remain confident about their water supply, noting that corrosion controls meant to prevent lead from leaching into the flowing water remain in effect.

Newark had not exceeded federal lead limits in eight tests spanning more than four years, Adeem said. He said residents could get free water filters and inspections by calling his department at 973-733-6303.