The investigation into cases of faulty lead service line replacement work in Newark has so far turned up only a handful of impacted locations in the city, according to an update delivered by Mayor Ras Baraka on Wednesday night.
An audit launched last month by the city and the state Department of Environmental Protection has found 12 instances of partial lead service line replacements out of 90 properties that were examined. Those properties had been identified as possible sites of faulty work out of more than 1,300 points of evaluation, according to Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Shawn LaTourette.
The audit was launched after three of the more than 23,000 lead service lines replaced by the city were found to have been partial replacements, meaning that some lead components still remained in the plumbing. A state law enacted in 2021 requires that all service lines with lead elements in New Jersey be replaced over a 10-year period. It also mandates that the full line be replaced, as opposed to partial replacements allowed under federal regulation.
Baraka and LaTourette gave an interim update Wednesday on the effort, which is ongoing. It is still possible that criminal charges may be filed. Officials stressed that there is no threat to public health, because the water system’s corrosion control treatment — which prevents lead from leaching into drinking water — is still effective.
