Trenton Water Works has been found to be in violation of federal and state monitoring requirements.
HAMILTON Trenton Water Works has been found to be in violation of federal and state monitoring requirements.
In a Nov. 8 letter to customers, the utility acknowledged that between January 2010 and September 2013 it did not use continuous monitoring equipment to report “combined filter effluent turbidity” and “residual chlorine concentration” entering the distribution system.
Attempts to contact the utility for further comment were unsuccessful at press time.
According to Jeffrey J. Plunkett, health officer for Hamilton Township, effluent turbidity refers to “clearness” clarity of water while the residual chlorine is the amount of chlorine in the water at the “point of distribution to the residents.”
”(Chlorine is) added and so forth at the plant,” Mr. Plunkett said. “This is just a check on if it’s at the minimal level when it’s being distributed to the water system.”
The letter states there is no danger, as there has been “no indication that the quality of your drinking water has presented any adverse health implications.”
It further states there is no corrective action needed on the part of water users.
According to the letter, had the incident constituted an emergency, customers would have been notified in 24 hours.
While continuous monitoring equipment was not utilized, the letter maintains the utility “took and reported hourly samples that were analyzed by its operations personnel” for both the filter effluent turbidity and residual chlorine.
In response to the violation, the letter states TWW will make short-term improvements to facilitate continuous monitoring, adding that such monitoring and recording should be operational “within 12 months.”
In addition, the utility will embark “on a comprehensive evaluation of its Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition system,” anticipating that such evaluation will be completed within 36 months.
“”“We will continue to make improvements to our water system and monitoring program to ensure that your drinking water supply complies with all applicable state and federal water quality regulations,” the letter read.
Earlier this year, TWW informed customers of elevated levels of trihalomethanes (TTHM), which were revealed during testing between May 2012 and February 2013.
TWW indicated that the standard level for TTHM is 80 parts per billion, and that testing over the then previous twelve months showed an average level of 95 parts per billion.
However, TWW also indicated that testing for the first quarter of 2013 showed a below-average level of 69 ppb.
The levels of TTHM, four volatile organic chemicals that form when disinfectants react with natural organic matter in water, resulted in a violation issued by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection.
According to a previous township release, representatives of TWW addressed the recent water quality issue during a meeting with Hamilton officials.
Utility representatives consistently maintained the issue did not pose any immediate health threat, though previous press releases noted people who drink water containing TTHM in excess of the standard level over many years may experience problems with their liver, kidneys, or central nervous system, and may have an increased risk of getting cancer.
In response to the elevated TTHM levels, TWW initiated a plan that included system flushing to control the levels of disinfectants used to treat the water and cleaning lines more frequently, the release said.
TWW also previously committed to establishing a new phone system to provide information and responses to customers on a 24/7 basis.
Previously, John Ricci, township business administrator, estimated between 50 and 60 percent of Hamilton is served by TWW.

