It’s a problem that doesn’t discriminate -- it’s been detected all across the state, in rural, suburban, and urban areas. And now, more than 1.4 million people across the Garden State are getting their drinking water from systems that are dealing with high levels of lead.
At least 35 water systems in New Jersey have recently been found to have high levels of lead at the tap, NJ Advance Media found after a review of violations issued by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection between January 1, 2018 and January 31, 2019. The affected water systems vary greatly by size, ranging from major systems that serve hundreds of thousands of people in multiple towns to tiny systems that service just dozens of people in a single business.
For best results viewing the table below, select the option to show 5 entries. The table is also searchable by municipality.
The high lead levels are a problem, especially for children. Lead exposure is known to affect behavior and intelligence in developing babies, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. There are no safe levels of lead, but the federal drinking water standard for the metal is 15 parts per billion. These water systems were issued violations because they had lead levels higher than that standard.
When a water system is found to have high lead levels, a number of steps must be taken to bring the system back into compliance with state regulations, according to NJDEP spokesman Larry Hajna. Those steps include increasing water monitoring and improvements to water treatment in the systems. Hajna said it may take several years for a water system to return to compliance.
New Jersey typically has about 25 water systems register high lead levels in a given year, according to Hajna, so the 35 water systems with violations between January 2018 and January 2019 is a little higher than expected.
Of the 1.4 million people served by these 35 systems, more than half get their drinking water from SUEZ’s Hackensack system, which serves nearly 800,000 people in dozens of municipalities across Bergen and Hudson counties.
SUEZ, a private water utility that operates water systems across New Jersey, ended up with a lead problem in the Hackensack system due to problematic corrosion control treatment at its Haworth water plant. Problematic corrosion control treatment makes it more likely that water will erode lead pipes and send the toxic metal out of the tap.
Residents and businesses in the areas served could be affected if there are lead pipes leading to their properties.
Last week, SUEZ announced that it would spend $15 million this year to replace 50,000 feet of lead pipes in its Hackensack system. Customers served by utility-owned service lines and goosenecks in the Hackensack system can have SUEZ test their water for free.
Three other SUEZ systems -- the Vernon Valley and Lake Glenwood systems that serve parts of Vernon Township in Sussex County and the Olde Milford Estates system serving part of West Milford in Passaic County -- all received violations for high lead levels.
The Lake Glenwood and Olde Milford Estates systems were both acquired by SUEZ in December and their lead problems predate the utility’s ownership, according to SUEZ spokeswoman Debra Vial.
“These are our first experiences in New Jersey with this issue," Vial said of the lead problems. "It is our goal to work aggressively to bring these systems into compliance as quickly as possible.”
Other large systems that provide drinking water to multiple municipalities made up a major chunk of the affected population. Places like Newark, Trenton and Bordentown have long-running lead problems, and each is taking steps toward solutions.
In Newark, the city recently broke ground on a $75 million plan to replace more than 15,000 lead pipes that are the source of lead in the water system. Steps are also being taken to fix the corrosion control treatment at the city’s Pequannock plant, which, like with the SUEZ Hackensack system, is contributing to the system’s lead problem.
While work to fix Newark problems continues, city workers have distributed over 35,000 water filters for residents with lead service lines, according to city spokeswoman Crystal Rosa. The new corrosion control treatment will begin later this month and will take 6 to 8 months to take effect, according to Kareem Adeem, the acting director of the city’s water department.
The combination of lead service lines and poor corrosion control is also the source of lead contamination in Trenton, where the Trenton Water Works has struggled to meet deadlines for its own $15 million lead line replacement program. According to Trenton Water Works spokesman Michael Walker, the program will replace 2,600 service lines. Trenton is also working on optimizing its corrosion control treatment, and making other improvements to its water plant.
In Bordentown, Commissioner Joe Myers said the city has not yet found any lead service lines and believes the problem is primarily with lead plumbing and water fixtures in residents’ homes. Myers said the city is working to improve its water treatment, including using a new corrosion control method last fall.
But most of the 35 systems found to have lead problems last year were small, often serving just a single facility.
A few of those small systems are schools and daycares, while others are medical facilities. Some of the water systems serve specific businesses.
Shady Pines Camping Resort, an RV campground owned by Sun Communities in Galloway Township was found to have high lead levels last May. The park gets its water from a private well and operates its own water treatment system to serve an estimated 160 people.
Tina Schoal, the manager of Shady Pines, said the lead problems began before Sun Communities took over the campground in 2016. Since last May’s lead violation, Schoal said the campground has spent more than $100,000 to fix its water system. She said that recent test results from Feb. 27 showed the system’s lead levels to be in compliance, and she expects to soon be back in good standing with the state.
But until that happens, Schoal said notices remain posted around the campground to warn customers about the system’s lead problem. Schoal said she looks forward to taking them down and burning them when the state deems the water system to be fixed.
“This has been my nightmare for almost a year,” Schoal said.
Editor’s Note: This story has been updated to include a response from Beanstalk Academy in Roxbury.
NJ Advance Media staff writers Karen Yi and Carla Astudillo contributed to this report.
Read more of NJ.com’s coverage of New Jersey water issues here.
Michael Sol Warren may be reached at mwarren@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @MSolDub. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
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