Dear Senator Booker and Senator Menendez,

I am very concerned about the ongoing and increasing water contamination in the water supplies of New Jersey. The New Jersey Patch reported on February 2nd, 2016, that “11 N.J. municipalities and two counties have a bigger lead poisoning risk than Flint, Mich.” (NJ Patch). It is abundantly clear that our water supply companies, our politicians and the EPA must act urgently on this matter. Therefore, I ask that you put the lead contamination in New Jersey’s water supplies at the top of your priority list immediately.  Not only is this a health crisis, but it is also a social injustice to not correct this problem.

Regretfully, like what happened in Flint, Michigan, I am aware that the numerous municipalities and counties mentioned in the report are ones comprising residents who are predominantly minority groups in poverty or low-income situations. It is a social injustice and every individual’s responsibility to ensure that basic human rights, like clean water, are provided for every New Jersey resident, irrespective of their socio-economic status. As a fourteen-year-old living in Wyckoff, NJ., we also have water contamination issues (not to the same extent as Flint, Michigan) and my family is proactive to ensure we are drinking filtered or bottled water.  However, I am a previous long-term resident of Jersey City, NJ., one of the eleven municipalities mentioned in the above report, and am very familiar with the poor socio-economic condition present in many parts of that city. When we don’t act on behalf of our poorer citizens, it is a crime and an act of social injustice.

The USPA states that environmental justice “...will be achieved when everyone enjoys the same degree of protection from environmental and health hazards and equal access to the decision-making process to have a healthy environment in which to live, learn, and work”. When environmental justice is not upheld, as in Flint, Michigan, basic human rights are not being met (specifically the right to have uncontaminated water) and I believe this same human right is also not being met in New Jersey.

I would appreciate your urgent response to inform me on the action you are taking to ensure that the water supply companies in NJ are addressing this contamination issue, that the EPA is effectively monitoring the situation in NJ and performing adequate testing.  When the testing results are showing a problem, I would like to be reassured that you are demanding that the EPA is locating the source of the problem, how to correct the problem and making sure that Congress is providing adequate funding and the support these towns need in order to effectively and urgently correct the issue.  I am concerned that our government officials are not demanding this oversight and that we will end up with the same problem that Michigan had with a Governor who was negligent in his duties.  I also would like to know what Bills you are addressing to ensure this problem is addressed urgently.

I am confident that if you do everything in your power to address this and encourage your fellow Senators and political officials to put this as a priority, then we will not have a large portion of our population poisoned by these contaminants.

Acknowledging is not synonymous with doing. Therefore, I implore you to go above and beyond to ensure that this health and social justice issue is not swept under the carpet when media attentions starts to fade.  We have the ability to ensure that New Jersey has a positive news story rather than tragic headlines like those we are seeing regarding Flint, Michigan.  Thank you for your consideration and urgency.

Yours faithfully,

Jasmine H.
Resident & student in Wyckoff