Jersey’s Own ‘Flint, Mich.’

Newark may be the new Flint, Mich. — if not in scale, then in the way officials in both cities initially refused to acknowledge lead in their drinking water, needlessly exposing residents.

On Monday, New Jersey’s largest city began handing out bottled water. The move came after a letter from the Environmental Protection Agency warned of high levels of lead in the water at two out of three homes tested.

Yet when tests first showed high levels two years ago, the city denied it had a problem. In the spring of 2018, its Web site assured residents: “NEWARK’S WATER IS ABSOLUTELY SAFE TO DRINK.”

It took until the fall, when a study commissioned by the city found that efforts at a treatment facility to keep lead from getting into the water weren’t working, for officials to finally admit they had a problem and hand out 40,000 water filters.

Yet on Friday, the EPA letter dropped

more bad news: “We are unable at this time to assure Newark residents that their health is fully protected when drinking tap water filtered through these devices.” The city admits the filters might not be sufficient.

Erik Olson of the Natural Resources Defense Council, which is suing Newark for violating federal safe drinking water laws, says “the parallels to Flint are fairly clear.” Both cities denied they had a problem despite data that highlighted it.

Newark might now admit it’s facing major water woes. But its delay may have meant months or years of needless exposure to a poison that can take an alarming toll, especially for young kids.

And get this: Just a day after starting to hand out bottled water, officials Tuesday realized the bottles were past their “best by” date and temporarily halted distribution. They say there was no health risk — but residents can be forgiven for worrying, all the same.