Physical Address
304 North Cardinal St.
Dorchester Center, MA 02124
To the Editor:
Despite assurances from city officials that drinking water is safe, Syracuse faces a lead pipe crisis. Families need filters now.
Earlier this year, testing revealed homes with lead concentrations nearly five times the federal limit.
There is no safe level of lead exposure. Syracuse must declare a state of emergency and rapidly distribute filters certified to remove lead.
While a city map shows existing lead pipes, thousands of households have an unknown status. Community members have expressed distrust of their water and repeatedly called for filter distribution. A letter from national and local groups and advocates urged officials to act.
In Syracuse, 1 in 4 residents is affected by lead pipes. Plans to order 6,000 filters for vulnerable families, such as those with children under 6, still leaves thousands unprotected until the estimated five-year timeline for replacing approximately 14,000 lead service lines is complete.
All impacted residents need filters to protect their drinking and cooking water until pipes are replaced and water remains safe for at least six months afterward. As seen in other affected cities, filters are an effective and equitable safeguard when paired with culturally appropriate education to ensure proper use and maintenance.
Without filters, residents may rely on bottled water, further burdening families financially and exacerbating the human health risks and environmental harm caused by single-use plastics.
The distribution of filtered, not bottled water with robust education is essential to protect public health in Syracuse.
Rachel Bustamante
Northeast regional campaign coordinator
Plastic Pollution Coalition
Frederick, Maryland
English