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Bottled water to be given to Newark residents affected by elevated lead levels

Bottled water will be made available to Newark residents who may have elevated levels of lead in their water, according to a joint statement by Gov. Phil Murphy and city Mayor Ras Baraka.

News 12 Staff

Aug 11, 2019, 7:04 PM

Updated 1,948 days ago

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Bottled water will be made available to Newark residents who may have elevated levels of lead in their water, according to a joint statement by Gov. Phil Murphy and city Mayor Ras Baraka.
As News 12 has reported, recent testing of water samples taken from three Newark homes, using city-issued water filters, found elevated lead levels in two of the homes.
"In coordination with the city of Newark, Mayor Baraka and I are prepared to do everything the city needs, including making bottled water available to local residents," Murphy stated.
The statement also explained that, in coordination with the Department of Environmental Protection, the city is expanding testing of filtered drinking water and working with the filter manufacturer to fix the issue.
Murphy also called for the federal government to support Newark so that impacted residents can receive the bottled water.
He also said that the long-term distribution of bottled water has potential to impact the city's new corrosion control treatment that was launched in May. Murphy said that residents need to continue running their water to help implement a corrosion control treatment that was launched in May.
Impacted residents can pick up bottled water at the City of Newark Department of Health and Wellness, the Bo Porter Sports Complex, the Boyland Street Recreation Center or the Vince Lombardi Center.