Newark, NJ is having a water crisis just like Flint

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30 schools in Newark, NJ can’t use the facet water because lead has been found in the water system.

Newark water problems

Officials have told the schools to stop using the water, immediately.

In a joint statement with Newark Public Schools released Wednesday, the state Department of Environmental Protection said recent testing found lead levels to be at “action level” – a threshold requiring additional testing, monitoring and remediation.

City schools

Parents have been notified of the elevated lead levels, the Star-Ledger reported. The city’s schools will remain in session, but drinking fountains have been temporarily shut off at the affected schools. Replacement drinking water, as well as cooking water for cafeterias, has been made available from water coolers and cases of bottled water, district and DEP officials said.

The emergency in Newark comes days the Flint, MI water crisis was highlighted in the presidential debate in the Michigan Primary. In Flint, a switch in water distributors in 2014 caused major damage to the city’s infrastructure. Pipes had been leaking dangerous levels of lead into water supplied to homes, businesses and schools.

Lead poisoning which can cause irreversible damage to cognitive function children, is a major problem in poor and minority communities. An advocacy group recently singled out Newark as one of 11 New Jersey communities in which children reported higher levels of lead in their bodies than in Flint, according to the Star-Ledger. However, the higher levels were attributed to young children ingesting lead from paint found in older homes rather than water.

Officials said they are working with the State Health Department to sample water and its entry points at all public and charter schools in the Newark district. Meanwhile, the Community Food Bank of New Jersey and other organizations are sending cases of bottled water to the affected schools.