Newsman: New York City officials said Saturday, Water at a NYCHA housing complex is OK to drink after earlier tests incorrectly showed the presence of arsenic. Tests by an outside lab last month had showed higher than allowable levels of arsenic, but on Friday the company said the results were incorrect.
The NYC city plans to explore legal action against the lab that provided false results and the water tested at the NYCHA housing complex never had arsenic in it
New York City Mayor Eric Adams said Saturday additional tests had confirmed the water was safe.
“This morning, the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene reviewed the final test results for contaminants and found the water to be well within EPA drinking water quality standards,” Mayor Eric Adams said in a statement. “We can confidently say the water at Riis Houses is and has been free of any discernible amount of arsenic since the initial tests were initiated in August and meets EPA standards.”
A tweeted video showed Mayor Eric Adams and another official drinking glass of water from a tap at the Jacob Riis Houses.
Residents of the 1,700-unit complex on the lower East Side had been told to avoid drinking or cooking with the water beginning last weekend.
Adams’s office said the city would cease working with the lab, Environmental Monitoring and Technologies, and would “pursue all available legal options” and seek to reimburse residents for costs incurred during the last week. The company acknowledged the testing errors in a statement Friday.
Even though the city is giving families the thumbs up to drink the water, some residents say their trust is shattered and they will continue to shell out cash for bottled water.
“The conflicting reports of water contamination at Riis Houses raise more questions that need to be answered, leaving the residents understandably concerned and outraged. The Council intends to conduct oversight to ensure transparency and clarity regarding water quality and safety for all residents of NYCHA,” City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams said.
