Coalition Files Legal Petition to Demand the EPA Address Syracuse Lead Water Crisis

Syracuse, NY —

Today Families for Lead Freedom Now, a community group representing families directly affected by childhood lead poisoning in Syracuse, along with partners, filed a legal petition urging the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to force New York State and the City of Syracuse to address the city’s lead water crisis. In July 2024, city tests revealed extraordinarily high levels of lead in drinking water, prompting residents and advocates to call for a state of emergency. The New York Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU), Earthjustice, Legal Services of Central New York (LSCNY), and NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council) have filed the petition on behalf of Families for Lead Freedom Now.

“Clean water is a human right recognized by our state constitution. In Syracuse, every drop of water should nourish — not harm,” said Oceanna Fair, chair of Families for Lead Freedom Now Inc. “As long as lead service lines remain beneath our homes, our health and our children’s futures are at risk. We deserve transparency, urgency, and clean water — because safe drinking water isn’t a privilege, it’s a right.”

The petition requests the EPA, which is currently investigating the lead water crisis, to use its emergency powers under the Safe Drinking Water Act to force Syracuse to declare a state of emergency, provide appropriate at-the-tap water filters, launch a public education campaign, and engage the community in creating a plan to remove lead-hazards, prioritizing the most lead-burdened communities.

“Despite a drumbeat of evidence that proves the gravity of Syracuse’s lead water crisis, our city and state officials have refused to take meaningful action to protect our community. Their shameful inaction has put countless families and children at risk of irreparable harm,” said Lanessa Owens-Chaplin, director of the New York Civil Liberties Union’s Racial Justice Center. “Addressing our city’s lead crisis is both a public health and a racial justice imperative. The health and future of our community are at stake, and the EPA must intervene and force Syracuse and New York State to address this crisis. This starts with getting the full picture, meeting people where they are, and engaging with Syracuse residents, sending a clear message that urgent action must be taken.”

Syracuse has known since at least the summer of 2024 that the water is tainted by lead, after water sample results showed extraordinarily high levels of lead in drinking water. The city blamed workers for improper testing and conducted new tests during the second half of 2024. In February, an expert report found that the city’s recent tests were skewed to show more favorable results, and that city officials under-represented the degree of water lead contamination, in violation of state and federal rules. The report also indicated that more than 14,000 Syracuse homes are at high risk of harm from lead-tainted water. On July 7, Syracuse announced new test results allegedly showing lead levels within EPA guidelines. Yet, according to water experts, the tests followed the same flawed methodology as past city-run tests.

“It is time for the EPA to act on this urgent public health crisis since the City of Syracuse and State of New York have failed to secure safe drinking water. The Safe Drinking Water Act gives the EPA emergency powers and the responsibility to step in — regardless of who is in charge,” said Valerie Baron, senior attorney with the Safe Water Initiative at NRDC. “We should be a country where families can trust what comes out of the tap, something people in Syracuse have not been able to do for at least a year. Syracuse families have a right to safe, clean drinking water.”

“Syracuse residents have been calling on city and state officials to take action for nearly a year with no meaningful response,” said Marissa Lieberman-Klein, associate attorney with Earthjustice. “It’s past time for EPA to step in, engage with the community, and ensure that Syracuse’s drinking water is safe and clean.”

“We support a community-led solution to this crisis. There is a clear danger lurking in Syracuse’s drinking water and no family should have to endure any longer the threat of lead poisoning from their tap water. Now is the time for federal, state, and local leadership to join with our well-informed community coalition to secure the safe and clean drinking water we all have a right to enjoy,” said Paul Ciavarri, community advocate for Legal Services of Central New York.

Lead is a potent neurotoxin with no safe level of exposure, and children and developing brains are most at risk of permanent damage. Syracuse has one of the worst lead poisoning crises in the country, with an outsized impact on Black residents. In 2021, more than 11.6% of Black children in Onondaga County were found to have elevated lead levels compared to 2% of white children.