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NEWARK, N.J. (WCBS 880) — The city of Newark on Tuesday reached a settlement with residents regarding dangerously high levels of lead in water pipes.

“We’ve secured a really major victory,” says Erik Olson, with the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC).

He notes the settlement will ensure every lead pipe is replaced and there will be free testing filters.

Olson says the situation in the city was dire.

“Newark, when we initially brought this case, had among the highest levels of lead in the country,” he said.

The issue came to a boil in 2018, when Yvette Jordan sued the city with a group of her fellow teachers.