Embattled City Utility Gets On Water Improvement Plan

Water in the capital of New Jersey had a lead problem, and the city was ordered to take palliative steps.

But Trenton failed to take these steps, and now it must pay up and jump through other hoops as a result.

The $13,000 fine, paid to the state, is a part of a plan for Trenton to address its water service after considerable controversy and customer ire.

“The state Department of Environmental Protection reached an agreement with the city's mayor and water treatment agency, Trenton Water Works, to address its aging infrastructure, after test results revealed elevated levels of lead in 12 of 100 water samples taken in the first six months of the year,” NJ.com reported.

An 18-page consent agreement lays out steps the city must take to address its water problems.

The agreement “outlines a host of problems with the city's water utility, including unacceptable levels of lead found in the drinking water. Lead generally seeps into a water supply from outdated piping in service supply lines,” the report stated.

What does Trenton Water Works need to do under the terms of the deal?

“The agreement outlines a set of DEP-established guidelines that the city and TWW must follow in order to comply with the Safe Drinking Water Act. The document requires TWW to submit a new corrosion control treatment project plan, complete a lead service line replacement project, and comply with regular monitoring for lead and copper lines, as well as water quality,” the report stated.

“The city must also pay the DEP a $13,000 fine, levied when TWW failed to provide documents about lead service line replacement the DEP had requested, and missed several deadlines for beginning a project to replace the service lines,” the report continued.

Earlier this year, it was reported that New Jersey’s top environmental regulator alleged that failures at Trenton’s water utility could pose a threat to public health. Bob Martin, commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, raised the issue in a letter to former Trenton Mayor Eric Jackson, according to The Trentonian.

In the midst of these water challenges, Trenton underwent a leadership shakeup.

“Former Mayor Eric Jackson is long gone, off making six figures at his new gig as utilities director back home in Plainfield, but the city of Trenton is still paying for the failures of Trenton Water Works under his administration,” Trentonian reported.