After drinking water crisis, Newark is winning war on lead

By DAVID PORTER
Associated Press

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — An ambitious program to replace thousands of residential lead water lines in New Jersey’s largest city is about to be completed years ahead of schedule. Newark was once castigated for its slow response and was sued in 2018. The city is now on the verge of replacing the last of more than 20,000 lead and lead-lined pipes. An environmental advocacy group’s lawsuit claimed the city had failed to adequately monitor lead levels and downplayed the problem to residents. Since then, Newark secured a county-backed $120 million loan and passed a resolution making it easier to get access to residential buildings. The majority of the city’s residents are renters.