Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
In Midst Of Escalating Water Crisis, Newark Reveals $120M Plan To Expedite Replacement Of Lead Pipes
Reuters: New Jersey Officials Speed Up Newark Lead Pipe Replacement With $120 Million Plan
New Jersey unveiled a $120 million plan on Monday to speed up the replacement of old lead pipes in Newark in response to mounting alarm about the toxic metal leaching into the drinking water in the state's largest city. Newark officials began handing out bottled water to some residents earlier this month after tests found that some of the water filters they had previously distributed were not working properly. (8/26)
The New York Times: Newark Water Crisis: Racing To Replace Lead Pipes In Under 3 Years
“We are going to do this as swiftly as humanly possible,” Mr. Baraka said at a news conference in Newark, standing with the governor and about two dozen other New Jersey officials. Years of neglect, mismanagement and denials have plunged Newark into one of the largest environmental crises in an American city in years, provoking anger, confusion and frustration among its 285,000 residents. (Corasaniti, 8/26)
NPR: $120 Million Loan Could Slash Years Off Newark Lead Pipe Replacement Project
An earlier timeline for the massive undertaking put the project about 10 years from completion but on Monday, Essex County Executive Joseph DiVincenzo said the injection of money would reduce it by several years. "As an elected official, I don't want to wait that long. I want this long-term solution to happen sooner rather than later," DiVincenzo said at a news conference, adding that it could be finished in 24 to 30 months. (Romo, 8/26)
ABC News: Newark Gets $120 Million To Speed Up Replacing Lead Pipes Amid Water Crisis
The Newark lead crisis, which began nearly three years ago. Since last October, the city has distributed 38,000 PUR filters to residents who have water flowing through lead pipes serviced by a plant in Pequannock, New Jersey. The crisis sparked new interest earlier this month after the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said that the city needed to distribute bottled water to residents after tests done by the EPA in three homes using the filters found that two showed lead levels exceeding 15 parts per billion, the federal and state drinking water standard. (Thomas, 8/26)
