Essex County Executive Joseph DiVincenzo, Jr. will announce a $120 million bond program on Monday to significantly fast-track Newark’s long-term solution to its lead water crisis, NJ Advance Media has learned.

The news comes as a much-needed boost for the city amid escalating cries from residents to fix the problem.

Newark began replacing 18,000 old lead pipes this March but the program was expected to take more than eight years and cost $75 million. With the bond money up front, the city will be able to speed up that process.

“The idea is to get it done quicker,” Anthony Puglisi, a spokesman for DiVincenzo, confirmed on Sunday.

Puglisi said additional details on the timeline will be provided during a press conference on Monday with Gov. Phil Murphy and Newark Mayor Ras Baraka.

Lead levels in Newark spiked in 2017, but the problem escalated this month when the federal government asked the city to distribute bottled water. The request came after alarming tests questioned whether the 39,000 water filters Newark distributed as a short-term solution were working to reduce lead as expected.

Lead is not coming from the source water, but it is flaking off garden-hose sized pipes called lead service lines that link underground water mains to homes. Those pipes are owned by residents but Newark secured state help to replace those service lines with copper at a cost of no more than $1,000 for each homeowner.

The Essex County Improvement Authority will issue the bond, adding to what the state has already committed, Puglisi said. New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Catherine McCabe previously said the state gave Newark a $12 million loan with up to $9 million in loan forgiveness for the first phase of the program.

By going through the county improvement authority, which has a triple A bond rating, Newark will get better interest rates, Puglisi said. The city will have to pay the county back, he added.

The Essex County Freeholders will vote on the bond ordinance on Tuesday.

Newark residents receive water from one of two systems: the Pequannock treatment plant and the Wanaque plant. Residents across both water systems are eligible to get their lead service lines replaced but must sign up with the city.

The lead crisis, however, is primarily impacting residents who live in the South, West and parts of the North and Central wards serviced by the Pequannock plant. The water treatment process at the Pequannock plant meant to prevent lead from leaching off old pipes stopped working, which caused the elevated lead levels.

Lead is particularly harmful to children and pregnant women and known to cause problems with cognition and behavior.

The city’s new treatment process began in May but is expected to take months to take effect.

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

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

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