Trenton Water Works (TWW) is asking all customers to cut back on water usage. The advisory issued by The City of Trenton on Thursday requests that customers “conserve water voluntarily until further notice.” “TWW has issued this request as a precautionary measure due to prolonged cold weather conditions,” the advisory said, “seasonal operational challenges associated with winter temperatures, and a state drought advisory currently in effect.” “Cold weather impacts the performance of our water infrastructure, and we are ready to address any operational issues,” said Sean Semple, Director of the city’s Department of Water and Sewer. “Although there is no disruption to treatment or distribution, freezing temperatures and prolonged cold weather conditions affect TWW’s water filtration plant’s ability to pump water from the supercooled Delaware River and water mains and service lines in our 683-mile distribution system.” The advisory or accompanying announcement from TWW makes no mention of a mandate from the Department of Environmental Protection issued Dec. 12, requiring the agency to issue the conservation notice as one of the remedies after the state said the Trenton water filtration plant had been shut down for several hours due to frazil ice buildup, as initially reported by From the Mains of Trenton, a Substack page that closely monitors and reports on issues with TWW. TWW customers had to limit water usage last winter for two months because of ice buildup on intake valves in the Delaware River. The ice reduced the filtration plant’s ability to process water and cause the utility to rely on the reservoir and bring in water from outside of the Trenton system. Trenton Mayor Reed Gusciora said earlier this week that the City is working with the DEP on the Water Works issues. “We are grateful they approved our request to hire a third-party engineering firm to investigate why frazil ice is an issue at the plant and what design improvements can be made,” Gusciora said. “We continue to operate our filtration plant. We had divers there today to inspect the intake system and look forward to the engineering assessment.” But reporting by From the Mains of Trenton shows that the DEP had mandated this study last April. Then, in June, the DEP called on the city to get working on the issue so that ice buildup would not be a problem this winter. In October, the city had issued an RFP to hire someone to study the problem, but the state agency said at that point that the RFP was inadequate, saying “The Scope of Work outlined in TWW’s existing RFP is limited and does not include enough information to demonstrate what is necessary to fully evaluate all the existing intake components and determine the appropriate corrective actions.” Gusciora said Thursday that DEP was not allowing them to properly address the ice concerns because the agency called the frazil ice problem “operator error” so the city could not address the possible design flaws in the intake and the screens built to protect the intake. The state and the city have been at odds, with the city blaming design flaws and equipment, while the DEP blamed the operator, not allowing the city to study possible repairs to the equipment until the DEP addressed the operator error. He said the city has made improvements to address the intakes, including the addition of blowoff equipment to clear some of the blockages. The city is currently still working on clearing the six intake channels that bring water into the filtration plant. Gusciora said he requested DEP engineers to look at the intake, but the agency would not let its engineers work directly with TWW. The mayor also acknowledged the recent shutdown of the plant saying it was just a temporary stop to water intake so that divers could go into the river to look at the intakes and figure out how to best address the frazil ice issue. The open-ended nature of the current water limit advisory could mean stricter water limits may be in store for TWW customers this winter. The city’s announcement follows in full: “Trenton Water Works (TWW) today issued a Water Conservation Advisory, asking customers and residents in its five-municipality service area to conserve water voluntarily until further notice. TWW provides drinking water to more than 200,000 residents. TWW mailed the Water Conservation Advisory to all of its customers, and it is also available online under News and Announcements at trentonnj.org/154/Water-Sewer. “Cold weather impacts the performance of our water infrastructure, and we are ready to address any operational issues,” said Sean Semple, Director of the city’s Department of Water and Sewer, which operates Trenton Water Works. “Although there is no disruption to treatment or distribution, freezing temperatures and prolonged cold weather conditions affect TWW’s water filtration plant’s ability to pump water from the supercooled Delaware River and water mains and service lines in our 683-mile distribution system.” During these seasonal operational challenges, TWW is encouraging customers and service-area residents in Trenton, Hamilton Township, Ewing Township, Lawrence Township, and Hopewell Township to prioritize essential water use for drinking and cooking, sanitation and personal hygiene, and fire suppression and emergency needs. Non-essential water use includes washing vehicles, watering lawns and landscaping, filling pools or operating decorative fountains, and running dishwashers or washing machines with partial loads. “TWW’s water filtration plant on Route 29 South in Trenton continues to operate normally and is capable of meeting drinking water demand,” added Semple. “The Water Conservation Advisory helps ensure system reliability and performance during extreme cold temperatures.” To report water main breaks, toppled-over fire hydrants, service line leaks, and other water emergencies, customers and residents can call TWW’s 24/7 hotline at (609) 989-3222.” ...read more read less