Mayor Eric Adams drank a glass of the troubled water at the Jacob Riis Houses Saturday to prove there’s no harm in using it. News 4’s Melissa Colorado reports.
Water at a NYCHA housing complex is OK to drink after earlier tests incorrectly showed the presence of arsenic, New York City officials said Saturday.
A tweeted video showed Mayor Eric Adams and another official drinking glasses of water from a tap at the Jacob Riis Houses. 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.
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 said Saturday additional tests had confirmed the water was safe.
Get Tri-state area news and weather forecasts to your inbox. Sign up for NBC New York newsletters.
“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,” 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.”
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.
"I live on the 12th floor and my water is still brown, so when is it fixed?" Dynasty Armstead asked outside the complex Saturday. "I have kids and my kids are sick, so what are they doing?"
A number of city leaders are not satisfied with the conclusion of the past week's troubles, and say blame doesn't lay solely with the lab.
“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.
