UPDATE: Officials say Newark water situation 'urgent,' but no Flint
NEWARK -- Thirty school district buildings in Newark are temporarily using alternative water sources after recent testing found elevated levels of lead in the schools' drinking water, Department of Environmental Protection officials announced in a joint release with Newark Public Schools Wednesday.
According to the announcement, Newark schools notified the DEP on Monday that 30 buildings recorded elevated levels during annual testing that was recently conducted in the district. Some levels were found to be higher than the Environmental Protection Agency's "action level" for lead, which is a threshold requiring additional testing, monitoring and remediation, the DEP said. The lead action level is 15 parts per billion, state officials said.
Newark schools has temporarily shut off all drinking water fountains at the affected schools, and is posting notices not to drink water from faucets, the DEP said. Replacement drinking water, and cooking water, is available from water coolers and bottled water at all of the affected schools, officials said.
School is remaining in session.
According to the DEP, it is working with the state department of health and the district to sample the water and its entry points at every public and charter school in the district.
"Parents should have no concerns about students' water and food consumption at the school while the situation is addressed," the DEP said in a release.
A school spokeswoman deferred comment on the situation to state officials Wednesday morning.
A teacher at Weequahic High School who asked not to be identified Wednesday expressed concern at the announcement.
"They gave us bottled water, (and) told us don't use the water for lunch," the teacher told NJ Advance Media. "They're saying we could wash our hands with it, but I don't trust that, the kids don't trust that...This is crazy."
Elevated lead levels have not been found within the Newark Water Department's source water, state officials said.
"In the vast majority of cases where lead is found in drinking water, it enters through the water delivery system itself when it leaches from either lead pipes, household fixtures containing lead, or lead solder," the DEP said.
At an unrelated press conference Wednesday morning, city officials indicated Mayor Ras Baraka was still being briefed on the situation, and did not have an immediate comment. Baraka announced at 11:30 a.m. that he, Newark Public Safety Director Anthony F. Ambrose, and Director of Water and Sewer Utilities Andrea Adebowale will hold a press conference to discuss the elevated levels of lead at 1 p.m.
An advocacy group recently cited Newark as one of the 11 municipalities in New Jersey in which children reported higher lead levels than those in Flint, Mich. Those elevated levels, the group said, arise mostly from young children ingesting lead from paint found in older homes.
Though officials said Wednesday drinking water alone does not usually result in elevated lead levels in children's' blood, parents can have their children tested for lead at the Newark Health Department.
Parents Wednesday were split on the district's handling of the elevated levels.
One parent who asked not to be identified said she was dissatisfied when she called one of the affected schools with questions, and did not get many answers.
"The (school's) water was off, and they didn't know why," she said. "The children should not be in school during this time."
But, Nichole Donnell, the parent of a kindergartener at Louise Spencer said she was happy with the information she had received from the district.
"I'm happy with the administration here, and I haven't had any problem with them making me aware of what's going on," she said.
As news of the levels spreads, organizations are sending bottled water to schools in Newark.
The Community Food Bank of New Jersey has already sent 120 cases of bottled water to the Roberto Clemente school, and is working to connect with other schools to provide more water, said the organization's director of public relations Julia Kathan.
"We stand ready to offer whatever assistance we can in the hours and days ahead," she said.
Parents, too, said they would be sending their kids to school prepared to deal with the water issue.
"I'll probably just send some bottled water until it's all taken care of," Donnell said.
According to lead level results released by the DEP Wednesday, the following school buildings are affected:
- 14th Avenue School
- Abington Avenue
- American History High School
- Bard High School
- Barringer Academy STEM/Arts and Humanities
- Benjamin Franklin
- Branch Brook
- Cleveland
- Early Childhood School - Central at Berliner
- Early Childhood School - West at Old Speedway
- George Washington Carver (includes Bruce Street and KIPP Seek Academy)
- Hawthorne Academy
- Ivy Hill
- John F. Kennedy School
- Louise Spencer (includes Miller Street)
- Luis Munoz Marin
- Mount Vernon
- New Jersey Regional Day
- Newark Evening High School (Vocation at West Side)
- Newark Leadership at Newark Vocational
- Newton Street (includes Fast Track Success Academy)
- Quitman Street
- Ridge Street - Annex (Grades K-1)
- Ridge Street - Main Building
- Roberto Clemente
- South 17th Street
- South Street
- 13th Avenue
- Weequahic (includes Eagle Academy for Young Men and Girls Academy of Newark)
- Wilson Avenue
Staff reporter Dan Ivers contributed to this report.
Jessica Mazzola may be reached at jmazzola@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @JessMazzola. Find NJ.com on Facebook.