Trenton Water Works At ‘High Risk Of Systemic Failure,’ State Says

LAWRENCEVILLE, NJ - State environmental officials are escalating pressure on Trenton to address what they describe as critical failures at the city's water utility, warning that the system faces imminent collapse without major structural changes.

In a July 29 letter to Mayor Reed Gusciora and the City Council, New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Shawn LaTourette declared that Trenton Water Works remains at "extremely high risk of systemic failure."

The assessment follows years of deteriorating infrastructure, management problems, and chronic underinvestment that have left the utility struggling to provide reliable service.

“While the system is more stable today, the central problem remains: TWW is plagued by historical neglect, decades of underinvestment and operational risks that threaten the reliability of uninterrupted water service to the Greater Trenton area, and present significant ongoing risk to the health and safety of TWW customers,” LaTourette told the Mayor and Council.

Trenton Water Works serves more than 200,000 residents across Mercer County and is solely governed by the city.

The utility provides water to five Mercer County municipalities – Lawrenceville, Hopewell, Ewing, Hamilton, and Trenton.

In a January 2025 report, third party evaluators said a wholesale reevaluation of TWW was required to modernize the system, but to date no formal action has been taken by the City.

The state has asked Trenton to place the matter on its Council agenda for Aug. 8.

Mayors of towns served by TWW have once again resumed their call for working together to support regional restructuring of the utility. The also went on to criticize the current condition at TWW.

"We are committed to protecting the interests of Lawrence Township residents and ensuring they have reliable access to safe drinking water. We will be fully engaged in discussions with NJDEP and the other municipalities served by Trenton Water Works to evaluate the best path forward," Lawrence Township Mayor Patricia Hendricks Farmer said.

Mayor Jeff Martin of Hamilton said that the township is at a crossroads with TWW and the current status quo was unsustainable.

"While we prepare to come to the table with viable solutions, I remain hopeful that the city’s leadership will put the public health of 200,000 residents at the forefront of their decision-making process. While being hopeful, I remain ready to act to ensure everyone has reliably clean and safe drinking water,” Martin said.

The Mayor also pointed to the NJDEP website that lists four major critical single points of failure at the TWW plant:

1. The roof of TWW’s filtration plant is leaking throughout the plant, and the HVAC is malfunctioning, promoting corrosion of equipment and an unsafe work environment.
2. The filtration plant intake is only operating at 50% capacity.
3. The electrical system at the treatment plant is in need of significant repairs.
4. The central pump station has no backup, is in need of full replacement, and without it, water cannot be supplied to customers.

Meanwhile, Trenton Mayor Reed Gusciora has pushed back on the claims made by the NJDEP that the City has failed to act.

He accused the state of trying to strong arm the city into relinquishing control of TWW.

“It is simply not accurate to suggest that no action has been taken. Over the past several years, TWW has launched a multi-year capital improvement plan, retained nationally respected financial and rate consultants, and initiated meaningful operational reforms—including legislation now before City Council to improve recruitment and cost recovery. We are not defending the status quo; we are actively working to reverse decades of underinvestment through transparent, sustainable reform,” Gusciora said in his letter.

“What we cannot support, however, is being strong-armed into a predetermined outcome—namely, regionalization—without proper due diligence, public engagement, and accountability. A study of regionalization? Absolutely. But a forced transfer of Trenton’s water assets and authority without guarantees or meaningful local input? That’s not governance—that’s coercion.”

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