Newark residents coping with water crisis

NEW JERSEY (FOX 5 NY) - Brenda Toyloy is just one of thousands of residents in Newark who receive their water from the city's troubled Pequannock water treatment plant. So when the city began handing out filters, she did research and purchased one of her own.

Officials have distributed nearly 40,000 filters to residents after being alerted by the EPA that tests showed lead levels in the city's water were dangerously elevated.

"The company that I buy my filters from, they've been in Flint, Michigan. They've been in Puerto Rico, and they're still there, and they're working," Toyloy said.

In May, the city began a new corrosion control treatment, however it could be eight to nine months at the earliest before the results of its effectiveness can be determined.

City and state officials say some 18,000 lead service lines will also need to be replaced. 

New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy has also announced that a 24-hour hotline has been activated so resident can call with questions on the health effects of lead exposure or where they can go to pick up water. 

The hotline can be reached at 1-866-448-2432. Assistance is available in over 150 languages.