Newark’s large-scale effort to distribute bottled water to more than 14,000 households at risk for lead contamination was temporarily halted on Tuesday after the city noticed the bottles were past their “best by” dates.
State and city officials said water does not expire and dates are only stamped on bottles for production reasons.
“That dating of water is not mandatory and has nothing to do with health aspects of the water,” Newark spokesman Frank Baraff said. He said the city stopped water distribution Tuesday morning until 3 p.m. as officials waited for new water supplies. The truckloads of water, however, were delayed and won’t arrive until 5 p.m. or 7 p.m.
In the meantime, Baraff said residents can pick up the old water should they choose. A state official said 20,000 cases were delivered to Newark from the state’s emergency supply starting Sunday. It’s not clear how many of these cases have been handed out.
“We are distributing with them a letter from the (Department of Health) attesting to fact that there is no issue,” Baraff said. “Some people are rejecting the water, some people are accepting it.”
Newark began distributing bottled water on Monday after recent sample results showed the water filters at two of three tested homes were not removing lead as expected. The tests, although based on a small sample size, prompted the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to urge Newark provide bottled water for residents with lead service lines.
Only residents serviced by one of the city’s water treatment plants, the Pequannock plant that covers all the wards except the East Ward, are eligible for bottled water.
Resident Julius Spohn said he walked into the Vince Lombardi Center on Tuesday and was told they could not hand out the water.
“The receptionist informed me and several other people standing there that they had no water to hand out because the water bottles they had been given to hand out had EXPIRED and she pointed over to the rear wall,” Spohn wrote in an email. “There, against the wall were cases and cases of water bottles and there was a Newark fireman sitting there guarding them. This is insane.”
City officials continue sampling additional homes to understand why the filters -- which are nationally certified and have worked in places like Flint, Michigan -- are not working. Bottled water distribution will continue through at least Friday.
New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Catherine McCabe has asked the EPA to step up and help fund the bottled water program.
“You’re talking about a major logistical operation,” Baraff said. “We’ve done our best."
The following locations are distributing bottled water:
- Newark Department of Health and Wellness at 110 William St. open from 8:30-4:30 a.m.
- Bo Porter Sports Complex at 378 Lyons Ave. open from 11 a.m. - 7 p.m.
- Boylan Street Recreation Center at 916 South Orange Ave. open from 11 a.m. - 7 p.m.
- Vince Lombardi Center at 201 Bloomfield Ave. open from 11 a.m. - 7 p.m.
Read the letter from state health officials about bottled water below:
Read more of NJ.com’s coverage of New Jersey water issues here.
Karen Yi may be reached at kyi@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter at @karen_yi or on Facebook.
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