Jersey Water Works Lead in Drinking Water Task Force
Every person in New Jersey deserves a safe, healthy environment that nurtures their full potential. Lead exposure thwarts this basic goal. Across New Jersey, lead in drinking water threatens human health, especially for children.
To address the risk from lead in water, Jersey Water Works, with support from The Fund for New Jersey, convened a 30-member task force of representatives from local, state, and federal governments; water utilities; academia; environmental, smart growth and community advocates and public health organizations. Beginning in December 2018, the task force worked to determine practical, cost-effective, equitable, and permanent solutions that will ensure people across the state can access drinking water free from the risks of lead.
The task force’s work has culminated in the release of Lead in Drinking Water: A Permanent Solution for New Jersey. This report outlines actions New Jersey can take to virtually eliminate lead in drinking water in 10 years.
The recommendations include:
- A coordinated state-level campaign to address lead from all sources: water, paint, and soil.
- A package of legislation that would simultaneously require and empower water utilities to replace dangerous lead pipes regardless of ownership.
- The important state agency regulations, outreach programs, and transparency measures to ensure safe drinking water in homes.
- Special actions to address lead in water in schools and child care facilities.
These actions should be complemented by other efforts to address lead exposure and improve water infrastructure systems.
Read and download the report
Read and download the report summary
View the online appendix
- Lead Service Line Replacement
- Lead Filters for Drinking Water
- Disclosure of Information: Lead in Drinking Water in Real Estate Transactions
- Chicago Public Schools Case Study
Task force members committed to action in order to get a head start on the work of eliminating lead from drinking water. View the full list of commitments here.
Related links:
- Lead in New Jersey’s Drinking Water Calls for Awareness, Education and Investment – Special statement from the Jersey Water Works Steering Committee in 2016
News Coverage:
- 9/21/2020: N.J. was promised safe drinking water a year ago. Coronavirus spoiled the plan. (NJ.com)
- 12/2/2019: New Jersey takes major steps forward on lead in drinking water (Environmental Defense Fund)
- 10/15/2019: Reports outline New Jersey drinking water issues (The Press Group)
- 10/14/2019: In Paterson, lead in the city’s water is a game of ‘Russian roulette.’ Here’s why (Paterson Press)
- 10/13/2019: Murphy’s target: Replace all lead service lines in NJ by 2029 (WHYY)
- 10/13/2019: Watershed watchdog Raritan headwaters advocates testing tap water to protect health (Hunterdon Review)
- 10/11/2019: NJ governor seeks $500M bond to replace lead paint, pipes (The Philadelphia Tribune)
- 10/10/2019: Murphy urges plan to mitigate lead exposure in New Jersey (Wall Street Journal)
- 10/10/2019: Murphy targeting all lead service lines for replacement over next decade (NJTV News)
- 10/10/2019: Statewide lead line replacement suggested amid Newark water crisis (TAPinto)
- 10/10/2019: Gov. Phil Murphy calls for borrowing $500 million to replace pipes (Burlington County Times)
- 10/10/2019: Lead in NJ water: Phil Murphy wants $500M bond question on 2020 ballot to remove lead pipes (NorthJersey.com)
- 10/10/2019: There is a plan to get lead out of NJ water. (NJ.com)
- 10/6/2019: Map shows where lead pipes are carrying drinking water in NJ (NJ.com)
- 10/4/2019: More than 100 NJ water systems may have unsafe lead levels (NJ Spotlight)
- 10/4/2019: Getting lead out of water in schools, homes a top priority (Pascack Press)
- 5/17/2019: Lead water pipes threaten public health. Partial replacements could make it worse (NorthJersey.com)
- 1/16/2019: How do we get lead out of New Jersey’s drinking water? (New Jersey 101.5)
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 - 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
- Joseph Bella, Executive Director, Passaic Valley Water Commission
- 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, Advocates for Children of New Jersey
- Olumuyiwa Falajiki, Supervisor of Certification, Lead Abatement Unit, New Jersey Department of Community Affairs
- Michael Furrey, Owner, Agra Environmental and Laboratory Services
- Patricia Gardner, Director, Division of Water Supply and Geoscience, New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection
- Amy Goldsmith, State Director, Clean Water Action
- Monique Griffith, Director of Health and Human Services, East Orange, New Jersey
- Ishiya Hayes, Fellow, John S. Watson Institute for Public Policy, New Jersey Urban Mayors Association, Thomas Edison State University
- Chris Huber, Special Assistant to the Commissioner, New Jersey Department of Education
- Michael Kammer, Bureau Chief, Division of Water, New Jersey Board of Public Utilities
- Cate Klinger, Director, National Campaign to End Lead Poisoning, Green and Healthy Homes Initiative
- Andy Kricun, Executive Director, Camden County Municipal Utilities Authority*
- Joe Myers, Committeeman, City of Bordentown; Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, Cooper’s Ferry Partnership
- Doug O’Malley, Executive Director, Environment New Jersey
- Joseph Pargola, Assistant Director, Office of Policy and Regulatory Development, New Jersey Department of Children and Families
- Elyse Pivnick, Senior Director of Environmental Health Policy, Isles
- Shereen Semple, Director, Office of Local Public Health, New Jersey Department of Health
- Tom Shroba, Vice President of Operations, New Jersey American Water*
- David Smith, Chief Engineer, Trenton Water Works, City of Trenton (served after Sept. 13, 2019)
- Shing-Fu Hsueh, Director, Trenton Water Works, City of Trenton (served until Sept. 13, 2019)
- Shereyl Snider, Community Organizer, East Trenton Collaborative
- Chris Sturm, Managing Director, Policy and Water, New Jersey Future
- Mara Tippett, Watershed Scientist – Groundwater, Raritan Headwaters Association
- Robert Tucker, Scientist (retired), New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection
- Dan Van Abs, Associate Professor of Practice for Water, Society and the Environment, Rutgers University*
- Lucy Vandenberg, Senior Program Officer, The Fund for New Jersey
*Member of the Jersey Water Works Steering Committee
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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