As New Jersey's largest city continues distributing water filters to more than 40,000 residents to mitigate elevated lead levels in its drinking water, a neighboring town that buys water from Newark will now offer free filters, too.

Starting next week, Bloomfield will hand out filters to residents concerned about lead build-up in their homes. The township reported elevated lead levels in its tap water last year and in the first six months of 2018.

Recent drinking water samples show 16 of 61 homes exceeded federally accepted levels for lead contaminant between January and June 2018, state data show. If 10 percent or more of a municipality's samples have more than 15 parts per billion of lead, that triggers a certain actions by the town and requires public education.

"The township is definitely concerned with anything that affects public health and this is something that we're becoming more aware of. It's something that a lot of older townships are facing," Bloomfield spokesman Dan Knitzer told NJ Advance Media. "We're trying to be proactive with it."

Knitzer said the township ordered more than 100 filters with the option to buy more depending on need. They'll arrive next week.

Bloomfield officials said old lead plumbing and lead fixtures are causing the elevated lead levels, not the township's water mains. Officials say distributing filters is the latest step to help residents mitigate water issues. The township is also working with residents to replace old lead plumbing.

"We are hopeful that our homeowners work with us to ensure that lead is removed from their homes," Mayor Michael Venezia said in a statement.

Bloomfield purchases pre-treated water from Newark's Pequannock Water Treatment Plant. Newark has reported elevated lead levels in its tap water since 2017 caused by more than 15,000 lead service lines and ineffective water treatment.

A recent study, commissioned by Newark, found the method used to treat Newark's water to prevent lead from leaching into the tap water, known as corrosion control, stopped working. When water is not effectively treated for its corrosive properties, it will eat away at lead pipes as it makes its way through the distribution system, dissolving lead into the drinking water.

An NJ Advance Media review of the study, however, also found that it pointed to the likely cause as to why Newark's corrosion control stopped working.

Newark lowered the water's pH in 2012 in order to avoid violating another federal standard, one that restricts levels of possibly carcinogenic chemicals that can form when water is disinfected. Those moves made the water more acidic and corrosive, likely rendering corrosion control less effective over time.

Newark is in the process of changing the way it treats its water to prevent lead leaching.

Bloomfield's tap water also contains elevated levels of haloacetic acids, a group of five possibly carcinogenic chemicals that are byproducts of the water disinfection process. The township has violated the disinfection byproduct standard that regulates the amount of the contaminant repeatedly since 2017.

Elevated levels of haloacetic acids have been found in Newark as well.

The PUR filters are nationally certified to remove 99.99 percent of lead from tap water and also remove disinfection byproducts. Township officials are encouraging residents who pick up a filter to agree to have their water tested for lead.

"Everyone is concerned about these issues, and we have a program for testing lead levels but we have a shortage of volunteers willing to participate," Bloomfield Township Administrator Matthew Watkins said.

"We are asking residents receiving free PUR water filters to participate in the lead testing program."

Filters can be picked up at the health department located at 1 Municipal Plaza between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. Residents need to bring proof of residency.

For more information, residents can call 973-680-4024.

Read more of NJ.com’s coverage of New Jersey water issues here.

Read more:

City's fix of one water problem likely created another. This one's got a $75M price tag.

Newark's water breaches levels for dangerous contaminant. And nearby towns are drinking it, too.

Newark said it was fixing the lead in its water. Now there's a problem with the treatment.

[Editor's note: This story was updated to correct the actions triggered by lead level exceedance.]

Karen Yi may be reached at kyi@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter at @karen_yi or on Facebook.