New Jersey Examines Water Quality in Wake of Flint Water Crisis

The lead crisis in Michigan has prompted a review in New Jersey as well.

ByABC News
May 4, 2016, 7:20 AM
New Jersey Department of Education commissioner David C. Hespe, left, and acting health commissioner Cathleen Bennett, right, listen as New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, center, announces that he will require all of the state's schools to test for lead in water starting next school year, May 2, 2016, in Trenton, N.J.
New Jersey Department of Education commissioner David C. Hespe, left, and acting health commissioner Cathleen Bennett, right, listen as New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, center, announces that he will require all of the state's schools to test for lead in water starting next school year, May 2, 2016, in Trenton, N.J.
Mel Evans/AP Photo

— -- With President Obama scheduled to tour Flint, Michigan, today, concerns about water safety have been elevated to the national stage once again, leading many to speculate whether another water crisis is looming for more American cities.

One example is in New Jersey, where Gov. Chris Christie ordered mandatory lead testing for all of the state’s public schools on Monday.

Elevated levels of lead found in Newark Public Schools in March created panic among residents. In the city of Camden, students and public school staff have been drinking bottled water since 2002 due to deterioration of piping found in the buildings, many of which were constructed nearly a century ago.

Nearly 50 percent of the residents in Newark and Camden are black, according to recent census data, similar to the demographics of Flint. A 2012 report published by a group of international water policy experts determined that African-American residents were nearly twice as likely to live in buildings with inadequate plumbing as whites.

Obama’s visit to Flint, which was prompted by a letter he received from Mari Copeny, an 8-year-old Flint resident requesting to meet with him, gives the president the opportunity to draw attention to the severity of the crisis.

Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder will greet Obama at the airport in Flint, a spokesman for Snyder confirmed to ABC News.

The spokesman also said the governor will participate in the president’s briefing with federal officials on the Flint water crisis. In April, two state regulators and one city employee were charged with misconduct, tampering and other offenses in relation to Flint's water crisis.

It was unclear if Obama would drink filtered water during his stay.