BELLEVILLE, N.J. – Mayor Michael Melham has secured funding earmarked to purchase a limited amount of water filters for residents.
While the Township is under no federal or state mandate to distribute filters, they will be provided to residents based on priority strictly out of an abundance of caution.
Melham said that the exact amount of the funding has not yet been determined, but the hope is it will be enough to purchase filters for those deemed most vulnerable to potential lead exposure.
“We are asking our seniors, those who are ill or otherwise disabled, families with children under 6 and women who are pregnant or nursing to sign up for the filters at www.FiltersForBelleville.org,” Melham said.
“The township will make providing these residents free water filters a priority. As always, if you live in a house with a lead residential service line, the Federal EPA recommends running your cold tap water for about 2-3 minutes, first thing in the morning to flush out your line.”
Once the funding amount is set, Melham said it should only take about a week or two to have the filters delivered and distributed.
Rather than acquire the filters that attach to faucets, which are prone to installation problems, the Township is securing pouring pitcher filters with multiple replacement cartridges.
Since residents of Silver Lake are a part of the City of Newark’s water infrastructure, and billed directly by Newark, they have already been receiving water filters provided by the City of Newark’s Water Utility.
In conclusion Melham added, “We are already seeing progress with Newark’s new water treatment method, and believe within the next 4-6 months the small traces of lead currently leaching in from residential service lines will be non-detectable.”