Free Water Filters In Belleville; Newark, Clara Maass Lend Aid

BELLEVILLE, NJ — Belleville officials distributed hundreds of free water filters to local residents last weekend after getting a welcome assist from the City of Newark and Clara Maass Medical Center.

On Friday, Belleville Mayor Michael Melham stood with Newark Mayor Ras Baraka and Clara Maass CEO Mary Ellen Clyne to announce a $70,000 gift to the township: $50,000 from the City of Newark and $20,000 from Clara Maass hospital.

The donations allowed Belleville to purchase 210 water filters, which it distributed to residents last weekend.

Belleville began to closely monitor its drinking water after high levels of lead were detected in Pequannock-based Newark drinking water last summer.

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According to Melham, “driven by frustration,” he took out an ad on a giant billboard on Route 21 in September. The message, which towered about 50 feet over the busy highway, made news headlines.

Only two people, however, heeded the call, he said.

“I stand here today flanked by the only two people who heeded the call for Belleville,” Melham said Friday. “And on behalf of the entire township, I thank them for their support. There’s no doubt about, we would not be here today if it were not for Newark mayor Ras Baraka and Clara Maass CEO, Ms. Mary Ellen Clyne.”

According to Melham, although the township is under no federal or state mandate to provide water filters, strictly out of an abundance of caution, households with senior citizens, children under the age of 6, expecting and/or nursing mothers and those under doctors care were registered online to be among the first in Belleville to receive the free filters.

The township is reviewing the eligibility of the households that signed up via the website, FiltersforBelleville.org. For instance, residents in the Silver Lake area will not be eligible for these filters because they can easily receive them by contacting Newark Water, Melham said.

Baraka said it was important for Newark to share with Belleville.

“Because we get attention, we also get resources,” Baraka said. “Some the resources we got from the private sector, from grants that we accumulated, we decided to help Belleville out of its situation, based on the mayor’s plea. We’re just grateful to help.”

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Melham said that Clyne has been an ally since the beginning, when she set up free lead screenings for township residents during the fall.

“Clara Maass will be there when you, Mayor Melham, or you, Mayor Baraka, need us,” she said. “That is our promise to you.”

Melham said the township is “seeing progress” as a result of Newark’s new water treatment plan. Township officials believe that the small amount of lead currently leaching into some residential lead service lines will be abated in the coming months, he said.

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In the meantime, the distribution of pouring pitcher-type water filters will continue. Because these filters are not mounted on faucets, there are no installation issues and all residents can “easily and immediately” use them, the mayor said.

Every eligible household will receive a pouring pitcher and two replacement cartridges.

Melham said he remains committed to working with Essex County Executive Joseph DiVincenzo Jr. and the Essex County Improvement Authority in the ongoing attempts to “ensure clean drinking water for the residents of Belleville.”

Melham said he will be announcing a “total lead line replacement program” at his State of the Township address in May.

Previously, Melham estimated that replacing every lead service line in Belleville would cost up to $24 million.

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