Although the Trenton Water Works has missed one deadline to correct a violation of a drinking water standard and will miss the deadline to correct another violation, the water is safe to drink, according to the city-owned utility that provides drinking water to some Hopewell Township households.
In a Feb. 4 letter sent to all Trenton Water Works customers, the water utility acknowledged that it had failed to remediate the maximum contaminant levels for two drinking water contaminants – haloacetic acids and total trihalomethanes – within one year of their initial exceedances.
Both are disinfectant by-products.
The letter states that the Trenton Water Works routinely monitors for the presence of drinking water contaminants.
Our water system failed to remediate the haloacetic acids maximum contaminant level by the one-year deadline of Dec. 8, 2018,” the letter said.
The Trenton Water Works also exceeded the maximum contaminant level for total trihalomethanes, which is 80 parts per billion, during the first, third and fourth quarters of 2018, the letter said.
The two chemicals – haloacetic acids and total trihalomethanes – are formed when disinfectants (chlorine) react with natural organic matter in the water.
Meanwhile, Trenton Water Works officials are taking steps to reduce the disinfectant byproducts in the water system, including adding a second permanganate feed line and repairing a blocked carbon feed line at the water filtration plant, the letter said.
The turbidity – a measure of organic matter – of water throughout the plant is being monitored on a regular basis.
The Trenton Water Works is conducting more frequent sampling for disinfectant byproducts in the distribution system.