Rutgers Expert Can Discuss Newark’s Lead in Water Issue

New Brunswick, N.J. (Sept. 9, 2019) – Rutgers University–New Brunswick water expert Daniel J. Van Abs can discuss water supply issues involving lead in Newark, New Jersey, including water program development and the affordability of water infrastructure.

“What Newark is learning is what other cities have learned. When addressing lead in drinking water, always assume the problem is worse than you would like to believe, always provide more information than you feel is necessary and always take action faster than you think it is needed,” said Van Abs, associate professor of practice for water, society & environment in the Department of Human Ecology in the School of Environmental and Biological Sciences.

“The natural tendency of government is to minimize or defer costs, while the appropriate reaction is to minimize impacts,” Van Abs said. “The costs will come, regardless. The question is how much damage to public confidence occurs while delays occur in acknowledging the full scope of the issue and the necessary actions. Newark was behind the curve as soon as they focused on the quality of water coming from the treatment plant, when the critical issue is the quality of water that people actually drink. Everything that followed was Newark trying to catch up to the news.”

For an interview with Van Abs, please contact Todd Bates at [email protected]

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Broadcast interviews: Rutgers University has broadcast-quality TV and radio studios available for remote live or taped interviews with Rutgers experts. For more information, contact Neal Buccino at [email protected]

ABOUT RUTGERS—NEW BRUNSWICK
Rutgers University–New Brunswick is where Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, began more than 250 years ago. Ranked among the world’s top 60 universities, Rutgers’s flagship is a leading public research institution and a member of the prestigious Association of American Universities. It has an internationally acclaimed faculty, 12 degree-granting schools and the Big Ten Conference’s most diverse student body.

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