Lead in Newark Back in the News
Continued lead issues in Newark the past few days prompted another round of media stories that even reached the network news on Monday evening. Over the weekend, testing results showed that two out of the three homes using filters showed continuously high lead levels, and these testing results led to the distribution of bottled water on Monday. The situation is a little unusual, in that the filters are certified and are used on a semi-regular basis across the country, especially when lead service lines are replaced.
The high lead levels are likely from lead services lines in the distribution system. For Newark, the estimate to replace all of the lead service lines is $70 million. The situation in Newark will likely take some time to sort out.
In the meantime, EPA’s Long-Term Revisions to the Lead and Copper Rule (LT-LCR) are still under review by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). Given the normal 90-day review, the timeframe to complete that review would be September 6th.
