State launches initiative to improve Trenton Water Works

Gov. Phil Murphy and several officials, including New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Shawn LaTourette and Trenton Mayor Reed Gusciora, announced the launch of a new NJDEP initiative Oct. 12 to help support the struggling Trenton Water Works (TWW).

The move, which comes after a months-long compliance evaluation of conditions at TWW, aims to enhance the technical and managerial capacity of the system with a goal of improving operations and maintenance to ensure reliably safe drinking water.

TWW continues to have issues maintaining compliance with regulatory obligations and requirements. Now, NJDEP will have direct operational oversight to ensure that TWW can meet the needs of the more than 200,000 residents it serves in Trenton and the surrounding communities.

“Protecting our children, families, and businesses is a responsibility that all levels of government share, and one that we must leverage every existing partnership to fulfill,” said Murphy. “Under the leadership of the DEP and in coordination with the City of Trenton, we will work tirelessly to safeguard our residents and return water system quality to the level our communities deserve.”

LaTourette said that delivering clean and safe drinking water is a far more complex undertaking than one might expect.

“The depth of managerial, technical, and financial expertise required to ensure consistent operation, maintenance, and improvement of a water system is significant,” LaTourette explained. “Yet, not all systems are created equal, and we must invest more time, attention and resources in those that need our help. Through direct operational oversight, DEP and the city will more fully assess the system’s needs, meet its challenges, and ensure its long-term success for the benefit of the people of Trenton and surrounding communities that this system serves.”

The system, which draws water from the Delaware River, has had struggles maintaining critical treatment processes, monitoring water quality, employing adequately trained personnel, and investing in required maintenance and capital needs, especially keeping up with aging infrastructure.

The new initiative will work in two, concurrent phases:

• Immediate retention and deployment of a capacity-building force comprised of managerial and technical experts who will focus on improving routine operations and maintenance, as well as immediate capital needs; and
• A full-scale assessment and preparation of organizational and operational recommendations.

In a press release, the Murphy administration said that NJDEP and Trenton will collaborate to ensure that the progress and outcomes of the new initiative are open and transparent to the public.

“We are committed to strengthening Trenton Water Works, improving its operations, advancing capital projects, and maintaining high water quality in partnership with the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection,” said Gusciora. “As we’ve dealt with City Council obstruction, we are resolute and determined in our efforts to build on the substantial progress we’ve made, fulfilling the promise I made to modernize the TWW system to ensure clean and safe drinking water for our customers and service-area residents for generations to come.”

NJDEP says TWW’s water currently meets applicable quality standards; a public notification will be issued if that changes and there is a risk to public health.