Community groups in Syracuse, N.Y., are asking city officials to declare a state of emergency over elevated levels of lead in the city’s tap water, which in some households was found to be more than double the levels found in Flint, Mich., during its drinking water crisis.
The city of Syracuse contends that an emergency declaration is unwarranted because it has already secured $22.8 million in state funding to replace more than 3,000 lead service lines in the city within the next year. The city’s Water Department has increased the number and pace of lead service line replacements in recent years and will continue to do so until all lead pipes are replaced, says Greg Loh, chief policy officer for the city of Syracuse, adding that affected residents were notified and that the city held a public media briefing announcing the findings.
In an Oct. 16 letter, a coalition of 12 medical providers, residents and national groups urged state and local officials to declare a state of emergency based on lead levels found during routine sampling in July that far exceeded the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s current actionable level of 15 parts per billion (ppb). Ten percent of the homes sampled in July showed a level of 70 ppb. An emergency declaration would give the city access to federal funds to help address the problem.
“We believe much more should be done immediately to make the public aware of the severity of lead-contaminated drinking water in Syracuse and to effectively respond comprehensively to the crisis,” the groups wrote.
According to the Natural Resources Defense Council, which along with Earthjustice is assisting the local groups, a New York Freedom of Information Law (FOIL) request of the city’s test results showed that one home in 2024 had 2,520 ppb of lead, and another in 2023 had 775 ppb. More than 14,000 homes are believed to have lead pipes in Syracuse.
In an email, Loh said those results are “outliers when compared to sampling conducted over the past 10 years.”
Further monitoring showed that eight properties with exceedances required resampling and came back below the EPA action level. “Results from the next round of EPA’s required testing are expected soon and will guide the next actions,” Loh said. He added that the city is taking action in coordination with New York State and the Onondaga County Health Departments and following EPA requirements.
Erik Olson, NRDC’s senior strategic director for health, environmental health, says the non-profit has filed another state FOIL request to better understand how the city is conducting its monitoring. “We’re a little skeptical about how the number could come down from 70 ppb, a seven-fold decrease, in a matter of months,” he said. “We do know that the numbers are extremely high in Syracuse,” he said.
Groups Seek Immediate and Swift Action
The groups have also requested that the city fully inform and educate local residents about the dangers lead poses in drinking water, and for the short-term, immediately provide free lead filters for all vulnerable residents, not just those with children who are most at risk.
Oceanna Fair, South Side branch leader with Families for Lead Freedom Now in Syracuse, N.Y., says that as a older resident in a home that not only has lead paint, but now she has learned also lead service lines, she is not currently eligible to receive free lead filters, despite the fact that her granddaughter spends considerable time in her home.
“We need urgent action to get the word out, provide water filters immediately to the most vulnerable families, and protect our children from lead, wherever it is found,” she said.
The groups have also asked that the city cover all of the costs to replace service lines for people who otherwise couldn’t afford to pay for their portion of the replacements. Syracuse has one of the highest child poverty rates in the nation among large cities, according to current U.S. Census Bureau data.
