Hopewell Township residents who get their drinking water from the Trenton Water Works will have a chance to speak to Trenton Water Works representatives one-on-one at a special forum next week.
The Oct. 10 forum will run from 7-9 p.m. at the Stony Brook Elementary School, 20 Stephenson Road.
The event is the third in a series of public education forums that aims to encourage attendees to receive more information about the water utility that is operated by the City of Trenton. Forums were held last month in Hamilton and Ewing townships.
One hour of the two-hour forum will feature a question-and-answer session. Attendees may speak directly to administrators, customer service representatives, filtration plant and water system distribution experts, and communications staff.
Tables will be set up and staffed by Trenton Water Works representatives who will explain the science of water treatment, lead in drinking water and localized sources of lead, the lead service line replacement program and the water utility’s corrosion-control strategy.
The Trenton Water Works has come under fire in recent months for malfunctions at the plant, but none affected Hopewell Township customers.
In January, the Trenton Water Works issued a “boil water” advisory and asked customers to reduce their water usage following a malfunction at the water treatment plant.
The water utility violated a drinking water standard for haloacetic acids during the last quarter of 2017 and the first quarter of 2018, but the violations did not represent a threat and emergency notification was not required.
Haloacetic acids are a disinfectant byproduct that forms when naturally occurring organic matter combined with chlorine, which is a disinfectant added to kill bacteria. Customers did not have to boil water or take any other actions.
Expressing their concerns about malfunctions at the treatment plant, Township Committee members passed a resolution in January that called on city and state officials to take steps to ensure the drinking water is safe.
The City of Trenton and the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection reached an agreement in February which detailed a series of steps to address infrastructure, staffing, operational and public notification needs.
The administrative consent order called for filling vacant staff positions over the next year, along with measures to minimize water treatment plant disruptions at the Delaware River intake from low water conditions, debris, aquatic vegetation and ice.
