BY WALTER ELLIOTT
NEWARK – When something gets spilled, one immediately seeks to limit the spillage’s spread and start mopping up.
The City of Newark’s officials, since Feb. 6, has been conducting both a spread audit on the extent of lead content among its some 23,000 water service customers who had their lead lines replaced – and in mopping up a leaked conversation.
Newark and the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection are making a large-scale audit to see how many of the service lines between the city’s water mains and customers residences and businesses were incorrectly replaced.
The wider audit is based on a sample inspection of four new water service lines here between Jan. 19 and Feb. 1. Newark Water and Sewer Utilities and the DEP, tipped off that a third-party contractor had left “remaining lead components were found on the street side, between the curb and the water main,” inspected four properties’ lines.
Both Mayor Ras Baraka and Water and Sewer Director Kareem Adeem have said that the sample found remaining lead components between the curb and the water main on three of the four properties. Adeem, in his Feb. 7 public message to Newark water customers said that those properties’ lines were promptly replaced.
The wider audit, to be conducted “over the next several weeks,” will map out the extent of the unremoved lead content. Newark’s Lead Service Replacement Line Program, conducted 2019-22, replaced all lead service lines and fittings throughout the city of over 280,000. The program, funded through a 30-year Essex County Improvement Authority bond issue, has been held up as a national model.
Baraka and DEP Commissioner Shawn M. Latourette said, without naming names, that they believe that a third party contractor had not completely replaced the lead line and fittings. The LSRLP had Montana, Roman Engineering and J. Fletcher Creamer as the primary contractors plus several subcontractors on Newark’s streets and under sidewalks.
“Right now, based on what we think, we’ve replaced three lines that were problematic,” said Baraka. “We don’t know until we go out, do the inspection, if there are any other ones we’ve identified.”
“This occurred because somebody didn’t do their job,” said Latourette. “You can be assured that the Mayor and I will find that somebody and hold them fully accountable.”
This development came out sooner than later – thanks to a Municipal Council Chamber microphone that was left on while Mayor Baraka was briefing the council in an executive session Feb. 6.
It is not known as of press time whether someone will be held accountable for the mic mishap.
Newark officials stepped up their announcement by issuing Adeem. Adeem’s message includes assurances that the city has complied with federal lead and copper content compliance and that “NJDEP confirmed that Newark’s corrosion control treatment has been optimized to protect residents with plumbing that may contain some lead components.”
Adeem added that “some residents may be contacted by Newark to participate in an inspection to verify full replacement of their lead service line. Unless you’re contacted by Newark to participate in an inspection … there’s nothing you need to do at this time. This notice’s part of our promise to you and to keep you informed.”
“I can’t emphasize enough that there’s no need to panic,” added Latourette. “The DEP and the City will do their job to ensure that we conduct the audit and make sure that all lead service lines that are to be replaced if full have, in fact, been replaced in full.”
