https://www.americancityandcounty.com/wp-content/themes/acc_child/assets/images/logo/footer-logo.png
  • Home
  • Co-op Solutions
  • Hybrid Work
  • Commentaries
  • News
  • In-Depth
  • Multimedia
    • Back
    • Podcast
  • Resources & Events
    • Back
    • Resources
    • Webinars
    • White Papers
    • IWCE 2022
    • How to Contribute
    • Municipal Cost Index – Archive
    • Equipment Watch Page
    • American City & County Awards
  • About Us
    • Back
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Privacy Statement
    • Terms of Service
American City and County
  • NEWSLETTER
  • Home
  • Co-op Solutions
  • Hybrid Work
  • Commentaries
  • News
  • In-Depth
  • Multimedia
    • Back
    • Podcasts
    • Latest videos
  • Resources/Events
    • Back
    • Webinars
    • White Papers/eBooks
    • IWCE 2022
    • How to Contribute
    • American City & County Awards
    • Municipal Cost Index
    • Equipment Watch Page
  • About Us
    • Back
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Cookie Policy
    • Privacy Stament
    • Terms of Service
  • newsletter
  • Administration
  • Economy & Finance
  • Procurement
  • Public Safety
  • Public Works & Utilities
  • Smart Cities & Technology
  • Magazine
acc.com

Public Works & Utilities


Photo by Sasikan Ulevik on Unsplash

Case Studies

Newark, N.J. focuses on resident engagement during lead service line replacement

Newark, N.J. focuses on resident engagement during lead service line replacement

  • Written by American City & County Staff
  • 20th March 2020

After discovering that some residents who owned lead service lines and were served by Newark, NJ’s Pequannock Water System were experiencing high levels of lead in their drinking water, Mayor Ras J. Baraka implemented an aggressive 30-36 month lead service line (LSL) replacement program in 2019, with the goal of replacing approximately 18,000 LSLs at the resident level.

The program is highly complex and moving at a rapid pace to mitigate the health risks posed by the presence of lead in drinking water. It is further complicated by the need to simplify the logistics required to validate decreasing lead levels at the tap for Newark’s large population, which is mostly renters. Water at the tap must be monitored under the Lead and Copper Rule (LCR) every six months. Additionally, part of this program will be testing residences that have had their LSL replaced six months after the replacement.

Another challenge in the effort is that Newark has a large population of renters who are transient and may not feel engaged with the effort. In order to foster engagement and increase the rate of return of water testing kits, the City of Newark is partnering with 120Water to develop and implement a program that educates residents about the LSL replacement program and the actions they can take to reduce their exposure to lead in drinking water.

The engagement began in December 2019, with an anticipated kickoff of the campaign to an initial group of about 7,000 consumers in March 2020.

The Newark Way of Thinking & Drinking

Key to the program is creating awareness of lead in drinking water and what the city is doing to keep the public safe. It is important that residents understand the various components of the program—from LSL replacement to the need for tap water testing six months later—and their role in ensuring the program is successful.

The program was branded as “The Newark Way of Thinking & Drinking” to provide a campaign to rally around.

Newark and 120Water are implementing a variety of communication tactics to engage Newark residents, including a multi-step direct mail campaign with educational content, interactive games and a viral program to ensure that residents take the necessary steps to properly take and return their water sample, while also encouraging them to share the clean water mission.

There is an emphasis on engaging kids in the community both through the City’s Newark Watershed Science & Leadership Academy and also through direct mailings with puzzles, stickers, and games that make the subject of clean drinking water fun and educational.

Some of the materials geared towards kids included:

  • Water Science Flyers available for students. These include home experiments that any child can try at home.
  • Water Bottles, Stickers and Fun Facts that educate kids about water and give them an opportunity to decorate their water bottle.
  • Paper Boat Mailer that includes educational information about the water improvement project for parents and gives kids the opportunity to fold the flyer to create a paper boat.
  • Water Puzzles, such as crossword puzzles, that focus on the theme of safe drinking water.
  • Paint Newark Blue coloring sheet and blue crayons to reinforce the clean water message.

In addition, Newark and 120Water felt it was important to create a way for neighbors to encourage others to be engaged in the clean water effort. A viral mailer with the theme “Join Me” is being sent to all affected residents, which includes a tear-off form with information about the LSL replacement program that residents can fill out and give to a neighbor.

With residents aware of the effort and engaged in the outcome, it is expected that tap testing kits will be returned faster and at a higher rate by landlords and residents. Six months after an LSL is replaced, 120Water triggers the mailing of a verification testing kit to residents with step-by-step, simple directions to fill the bottle and return it in the mailer provided. The kit is branded with the familiar “Newark Way of Thinking and Drinking” campaign, so residents should recognize the effort immediately.

Results of the tests go directly to a state-certified laboratory where they are analyzed. The verification effort and results are tracked via 120Water’s cloud software.

Newark’s effort to proactively communicate to residents is a model of what a modern lead service line replacement program should be. Newark anticipates that by educating residents about the importance of the lead drinking water program, officials will gain residents’ cooperation, and ultimately create better public health.

Tags: Lead Service Line Replacement Newark Water News Public Works & Utilities News Public Works & Utilities Case Studies

Most Recent


  • Partnership launches no-cost wastewater monitoring service for local governments
    Of all the important lessons cities and counties have learned since the pandemic began, high up on the list is the value of working together. No one community can solve cross-jurisdictional challenges alone—that’s a concept that’s at the heart of a new initiative launched by the National League of Cities (NLC) and WastewaterSCAN that brings […]
  • water
    Investing in America’s onsite wastewater treatment systems for equity and sustainability
    Ensuring that all U.S. households have access to clean water and sanitation will require a re-alignment of resources and investment, not only for centralized wastewater treatment systems but for decentralized ones too. Nearly 20 percent of America’s households today depend on onsite wastewater treatment systems (OWTS or onsite systems), but only about 2 percent of […]
  • With passage of PACT Act, veterans service officers are preparing for an influx in applicants
    With the recent passage of legislation that expands medical access for veterans exposed to airborne toxins during their time in military service, county veterans service officers are preparing for an influx in applicants who were previously rejected. The Honoring our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics (PACT) Act, having passed the Senate after being struck down last […]
  • Chattanooga, Tenn.
    Capitalizing on hybrid work, these 10 cities are ready to take advantage
    Hybrid work is an accelerating trend that’s becoming the norm as attitudes rapidly change. And amid this nationwide shift to work-from-home setups, local governments are moving quickly to capitalize on the emerging opportunities that come with a workforce that’s not physically tied to any particular office building. For administrators seeking to entice remote workers to […]

Leave a comment Cancel reply

-or-

Log in with your American City and County account

Alternatively, post a comment by completing the form below:

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Related Content

  • How local governments can improve bridge projects through strategic engagement
  • NLC releases State of Cities 2021 report
  • How local governments can get ahead of the infrastructure wave: Strategies to mitigate risk
  • Prioritizing rapid restore leads to stronger ransomware attack recovery

White papers


Modern American Perspectives on Law Enforcement

14th July 2022

Reimagine the Employee Experience

12th July 2022

How to Assemble a Rockstar Website Redesign Steering Committee

7th June 2022
view all

Events


PODCAST


Young Leaders Episode 4 – Cyril Jefferson – City Councilman, High Point, North Carolina

13th October 2020

Young Leaders Episode 3 – Shannon Hardin – City Council President, Columbus, Ohio

27th July 2020

Young Leaders Episode 2 – Christian Williams – Development Services Planner, Goodyear, Ariz.

1st July 2020
view all

Twitter


AmerCityCounty

Partnership launches no-cost wastewater monitoring service for local governments dlvr.it/SW7N74

5th August 2022
AmerCityCounty

Investing in America’s onsite wastewater treatment systems for equity and sustainability dlvr.it/SW4Mb9

4th August 2022
AmerCityCounty

With passage of PACT Act, veterans service officers are preparing for an influx in applicants dlvr.it/SW4KTg

4th August 2022
AmerCityCounty

The 5 Procurement Superpowers Shaping the Future of Public Procurement dlvr.it/SW4DqT

4th August 2022
AmerCityCounty

This exclusive whitepaper presents the most recent nationwide data that give an unbiased view of how residents real… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

3rd August 2022
AmerCityCounty

Capitalizing on hybrid work, these 10 cities are ready to take advantage dlvr.it/SW0cjT

3rd August 2022
AmerCityCounty

Increase in emergency response time caused by insufficient staffing, traffic congestion dlvr.it/SVxcLn

2nd August 2022
AmerCityCounty

Local governments find document imaging solutions through cooperative contracts dlvr.it/SVxJnL

2nd August 2022

Newsletters

Sign up for American City & County’s newsletters to receive regular news and information updates about local governments.

Resale Insights Dashboard

The Resale Insights Dashboard provides model-level data for the entire used equipment market to help you save time and money.

Municipal Cost Index

Updated monthly since 1978, our exclusive Municipal Cost Index shows the effects of inflation on the cost of providing municipal services

Media Kit and Advertising

Want to reach our digital audience? Learn more here.

DISCOVER MORE FROM INFORMA TECH

  • IWCE’s Urgent Communications
  • IWCE Expo

WORKING WITH US

  • About Us
  • Contact Us

FOLLOW American City and County ON SOCIAL

  • Privacy
  • CCPA: “Do Not Sell My Data”
  • Cookies Policy
  • Terms
Copyright © 2022 Informa PLC. Informa PLC is registered in England and Wales with company number 8860726 whose registered and Head office is 5 Howick Place, London, SW1P 1WG.
This website uses cookies, including third party ones, to allow for analysis of how people use our website in order to improve your experience and our services. By continuing to use our website, you agree to the use of such cookies. Click here for more information on our Cookie Policy and Privacy Policy.
X