Newton may force property owners to replace lead, galvanized pipes

NEWTON — An ordinance requiring local property owners to replace lead and galvanized-steel water pipes will go to a public hearing on June 24, the town council decided this week.

Ordinance 2024-19, introduced at Monday's council meeting, also sets up a program under which Newton will pay for the replacement of lead water lines in private properties. A property owner may also choose to pay their own contractor for the removal but they must provide proof that the work was completed to receive a reimbursement from the town.

The ordinance must still be approved by the council to take effect. It leaves it to the town manager to set up a schedule by which all properties in town served by the water system must be inspected and lead or galvanized lines replaced.

High lead levels in drinking water can cause a range of health problems, including lasting damage to brain development in children. Gov. Phil Murphy signed a law in 2021 that requires community water systems in New Jersey to identify all lead and galvanized service lines, notify the public about their presence and then replace those pipes by 2031.

Galvanized steel pipes can absorb lead from a water supply and later release it water quality changes or the pipes are disturbed, the state Department of Environmental Protection says.

Newton is in the process of inspecting its century-old water system to find lead or galvanized mains and service lines. There is a reimbursement schedule in the state program which allows the town to recoup some or all of its costs.

The seriousness of the project was driven home by the ordinance's inclusion of a $500 fine to be added to a property owner's water bill if the town is not allowed to inspect for lead lines. Owners who refuse to have illegal water lines replaced are subject to a maximum fine of $250 per day, up to a total of $5,000, and a jail sentence of up to 90 days.

More:Newton hunts for lead pipes in town water system. What homeowners need to know

In other news out of Monday's meeting: