Almost 187,000 New Jersey households should be getting certified letters this week informing them the water service lines to their homes contain lead and will be replaced. State law requires all of New Jersey’s 570 community water systems to catalog and replace every lead service line within a decade; that’s an estimated 350,000 lines. Gary Brune of New Jersey Future said, “The goal is not to alarm people. The real goal on lead service lines is to make sure that people are aware of what the situation is, right?”
State officials say if you get a letter, don’t panic. It doesn’t mean you’re drinking contaminated water, because water companies add anti-corrosives that keep lead from leaching into the water supply. The state advises householders to run the cold-water tap to flush the system before using water to drink or cook. And ask your water company to test your water at the tap.
