It's been one month since the Environmental Protection Agency told Newark to begin distributing bottled water to tens of thousands of city residents after testing at two homes led the agency to question the effectiveness of water filters the city had distributed to remove lead from residents' drinking water. And in that month, some Newarkers say there's been one conspicuous absence in the city: U.S. Senator Cory Booker — current presidential hopeful and Newark's former mayor.

Since the EPA sounded the alarm over the potentially faulty filters on Aug. 9, Booker has held presidential campaign events and fundraisers in Iowa, Florida, New Hampshire, New York, Georgia, California, New Mexico, Nevada and Oklahoma.

Some Newark activists say they've taken note of Booker's absence in their city. 

"I just feel as though he should be more present and more visible," said Shakima Thomas, an organizer with the Newark Water Coalition. "[He hasn't] gotten in here and rolled up his sleeves and started really helping us out in this situation."

The group has been trying to get a sit down with the Senator since July to discuss their concerns regarding the city's ongoing water woes. On Monday, a staffer from Booker's Senate office agreed to meet with one of the group's co-founders, Anthony Diaz, but it's still not clear if the Senator will personally sit down with them.

"Even if [he] were to just go into a water distribution center and give out cases of water," Diaz said. "The optics here look bad because [he hasn't] even been around."

Tom Pietrykoski, a spokesman for Booker's campaign, took issue with the claim the Senator had been absent from Newark, and said Booker's been working behind the scenes on behalf of the city. He pointed to Booker's recent meeting with the regional EPA administrator and the Senator's letters to several government agencies calling for more federal resources for Newark. Pietrykoski also sent a video of Booker passing out water in his Newark neighborhood on August 19.

And on Monday, a bill introduced by Booker passed the U.S. Senate that would open up a new funding stream states could tap to upgrade water infrastructure. Under the legislation, New Jersey could use those funds to defray the costs of the $120 million bonding project to replace Newark's lead service lines.

"I know that our Senator is doing a job at the federal level to make sure funding is coming in, but to have more of a presence on the ground in the community...would have definitely been appreciated," said Kim Gaddy, environmental organizer with Clean Water Action. Gaddy lives in Newark's South Ward, and said she's seen much less of Booker in recent months.

Diaz, with the Newark Water Coalition, suspects the Senator's physical distance from Newark is intentional.

"He doesn't want to dive into what's going on with the water crisis because it'll bring up the past," Diaz said.

Diaz is referring to mismanagement at the agency that ran Newark's water system during Booker's time as Newark's mayor. Booker has not been accused of any wrongdoing, but his pick to run the agency was found guilty in a $1 million kickback scheme and is now in prison. 

For his part, Booker told PBS's Christiane Amanpour last week he's blameless for Newark's water woes.

"I'm proud that we had incredible clean water when I was mayor of the city of Newark and ran this system right," Booker said.

Last week, Governor Phil Murphy was questioned about Booker's whereabouts on WNYC's Ask Governor Murphy.

"It's above my pay grade as to whether he should be here or not here, he's running for President," Governor Phil Murphy said. He added, "Senator Booker...in the Senate has been one of the leading advocates to get this national water infrastructure legislation over the goal line."

Campaign spokesman Pietrykoski said, "From Newark City Hall to the Capitol, Cory has been working for years to right the wrongs of lead contamination in our drinking water that disproportionately impacts low-income communities and communities of color like Newark." He added Booker "will continue to be present in his community to help affected residents and support city and state leaders as they act together to solve this problem."

He did not say whether Booker had any public events planned in Newark in the future.