Lead in Drinking Water Task Force

Jersey Water Works has convened a collaborative task force to develop practical and effective policies for eliminating lead in New Jersey’s drinking water.

Jersey Water Works has convened a collaborative task force of experts from water utilities, trade associations, environmental groups, academia, advocacy and community development organizations, and all levels of government to develop a practical, broadly-supported action agenda to eliminate lead in drinking water throughout New Jersey.

Concentrating on residences, schools, day care centers and small businesses, the group will examine the existing legal and regulatory framework as well as issues of health risk, transparency, environmental justice, public education and cost.  In September, 2019, the Task Force will release a report highlighting a prioritized list of short and long term solutions that are appropriate, actionable, efficient and coordinated, including clearly-defined responsibilities and commitments.  

Lead in Drinking Water Task Force members

  • Christopher Daggett, Chairman,
    former Commissioner, New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection,
    former Regional Administrator, United States Environmental Protection Agency Region 2

Federal, State and Local Government

  • Kareem Adeem, Acting Director Department of Water and Sewer Utilities, City of Newark
  • Christine Ash, Chief, Drinking Water and Groundwater Protection, United States Environmental Protection Agency Region 2
  • Olumuyiwa Falajiki, Supervisor of Certification, Lead Abatement Unit, New Jersey Department of Community Affairs
  • Patricia Gardner, Director, Division of Water Supply and Geoscience, New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection
  • Michael Kammer, Bureau Chief, Division of Water, New Jersey Board of Public Utilities
  • Joe Myers, Committeeman, City of Bordentown, Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, Coopers Ferry Partnership
  • Joseph Pargola, Assistant Director, Office of Policy and Regulatory Development, New Jersey Department of Children and Families
  • Shereen Semple, Director, Office of Local Public Health, New Jersey Department of Health

Utilities

  • Joseph Bella, Executive Director, Passaic Valley Water Commission
  • Michael Furrey, Owner, Agra Environmental and Laboratory Services
  • Shing-Fu Hsueh, Director, Trenton Water Works, City of Trenton
  • Andy Kricun*, Executive Director, Camden County Municipal Utilities Authority
  • Tom Shroba*, Vice President of Operations, New Jersey American Water

Advocacy Organizations

  • Staci Berger, President and Chief Executive Officer, Housing and Community Development Network of New Jersey
  • Laureen Boles, Director, New Jersey Environmental Justice Alliance
  • Peter Chen, Policy Counsel, Association for Children of New Jersey
  • Elyse Pivnick, Senior Director of Environmental Health, Isles
  • Amy Goldsmith, State Director, Clean Water Action
  • Vineeta Kapahi, Community Strategies Fellow, East Trenton Collaborative
  • Cate Klinger, Senior Technical Advisor, Green and Healthy Homes Initiative
  • Doug O’Malley, Executive Director, Environment New Jersey
  • Chris Sturm, Managing Director, Policy and Water, New Jersey Future

Public Health

  • Monique Griffith, Director of Health, Township of Irvington
  • Ishiya Hayes, Fellow, New Jersey Urban Mayors Association

Academic/Scientific Experts

  • Kristi MacDonald, Director of Science, Raritan Headwaters
  • Robert Tucker, Scientist (retired), New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection
  • Dan Van Abs*, Associate Professor of Practice for Water, Society & Environment, Rutgers University

Other

  • Lucy Vandenberg, Senior Program Officer, Fund for New Jersey

*Member of the Jersey Water Works Steering Committee

Lead in Drinking Water Task Force Members (click for dropdown)
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The task force’s kickoff meeting took place in December 2018.

Though the dangers of lead exposure have been common knowledge for many years, the problem persists. Lead poisoning poses a particular threat to young children, causing irreversible damage to the brain and other vital organs that impedes learning and development and can trigger serious behavioral problems. In New Jersey, an estimated 200,000 children under age 6 have lead in their blood and of those approximately 4,800 have elevated blood readings at or above five micrograms per deciliter, the level at which the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that public health action be initiated. The state also has approximately 350,000 homes and small businesses with lead service lines (i.e., from the street to a building), ranking fifth highest in the country. Ironically, though lead poisoning is one of our most pressing health challenges, it is entirely preventable.

With a grant from the Fund for New Jersey, staff support is provided by New Jersey Future, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that promotes sensible growth, redevelopment and infrastructure investments in the state and facilitates the Jersey Water Works collaborative.

Questions about the JWW Lead in Drinking Water Task Force? Contact Gary Brune of Jersey Water Works’ backbone staff, 609-393-0008 ex. 119, to learn more.

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