Water woes
As Hamilton Council was preparing to introduce an amended budget Tuesday, Yaede wrote another piece of correspondence to Trenton Mayor Eric Jackson regarding the capital city’s water utility that services Hamilton and other nearby townships.
TWW, which has been dogged by operational shortcomings that forced the city to take corrective action, has sent notices to certain TWW customers concerning a lead service line replacement program.
“A water service line containing lead can increase your risk of exposure to lead through drinking water and should be replaced if possible,” the notice reads. “Replacing your water lead service line will reduce your exposure to lead and improve your overall water quality.”
TWW will replace city-owned pipes with unleaded ones, but affected homeowners will have to pay between $2,500 and $5,000 to replace their property’s water service lines, according to the TWW notice that gives an incorrect contact number.
Trenton Public Works Director Merkle Cherry said the incorrect phone number in the notice “was human error.” He said all municipalities have a requirement to update services but said Trenton has historically engaged in pipe replacements on its own volition.
“We have traditionally done that on our own volition,” Cherry said Tuesday of the city’s initiative to replace leaded pipes with unleaded ones. “This is just a little more aggressive.”
Affected TWW customers can register into a program permitting the city to replace their leaded water pipes for a cost estimated to be between $2,500 and $5,000. Anyone interested must register by May 25, but Yaede is calling for that deadline to be extended.
In a Tuesday evening email addressed to Trenton’s mayor, Yaede said that “with a quickly approaching deadline, coupled with the financial cost that would be borne by customers who wish to participate, I am also respectfully asking that you extend the deadline for this program, until at least a month following the public information sessions I am requested. I believe doing so would be in the best interest of all Trenton Water Works customers.”
The TWW notice makes clear the risks associated with homeowners who may decline to replace their leaded pipes.
“If you do not choose to have your portion of the service line replaced, please be aware that Trenton Water Works still intends to replace the City-owned portion of your service line which will result in a ‘partial replacement,’” states the TWW notice dated April 27. “Lead can be disturbed during a partial replacement temporarily increasing lead levels in your drinking water. It is strongly advised that you install a filter certified for lead removal or consume bottled water until lead levels subside. Instructions on periodic flushing and testing will be provided at the time of your replacement by Trenton Water Works.”
TWW provides drinking water to homeowners in the capital city and to suburbanites who reside in certain parts of Ewing, Lawrence, Hamilton and Hopewell townships. TWW will begin replacing cityowned service pipes starting June 15 in accordance with federal regulations, according to the notice.
Yaede in an interview with The Trentonian on Tuesday said, “The misinformation in the letter and insensitivity regarding lead in particular is why I am demanding that public information sessions be held in Hamilton for our residents and the deadline extended for this program.”
Yaede previously sent a letter dated April 21 to Mayor Jackson requesting open-public meetings over TWW’s compliance with state consent orders. Hamilton Councilwoman Ileana Schirmer says she pushed for open-public meetings on TWW before Yaede.