The Extra Point

Kelvin Beachum showed up in downtown Newark, N.J., earlier this week with the greatest gift he could provide. Water.

Lots and lots of bottles of it.

New Jersey’s largest city is dealing with a serious drinking water issue, stemming from the old lead pipes through which it flows into about 15,000 homes. While improvements are steadily being made by the city to replace the pipes and provide filters, the New York Jets’ left tackle wants to be sure residents are getting what they need.

“I think water’s a human right,” Beachum said. “And clean water, especially in America, is a basic human right.”

Newark residents with homes containing lead pipes began receiving bottled water in August after lead levels tested high in some places even while using filters. The city has begun replacing about 18,000 of its pipes leading from water mains to residences, financed by a $120 million bond taken on by Essex County. Newark has distributed more than 100,000 cases of water since mid-August, and recreation centers also are giving out water filters and replacement cartridges.

After seeing reports on TV over the summer about the situation in Newark, which mirrored water emergencies in Flint, Michigan, and Washington, D.C., Beachum decided to try to make a difference.

He donated $10,000 to the United Way of Essex and West Hudson and has helped distribute bottles of water to residents multiple times.

KELVIN BEACHUM