NJDEP hit Trenton Water Works with two more violations this week, both stemming from excess disinfection byproducts in the water. Both byproducts are believed to cause cancer and other health issues to people exposed for extended periods of time.
The first violation is for excessive haloacetic acids (HAA5) in the first quarter of 2018. TWW was hit in January with a similar violation for exceeding the limit in the fourth quarter of 2017; TWW said at the time weak water flow due to main breaks allowed the byproduct to form.
The second violation is for excessive trihalomethanes (TTHM). TTHM, like HAA5, are chemicals that form when chlorine or other disinfectants react with naturally occurring matter in water. Trenton Water last had TTHM violations five years ago, in Q1 and Q2 of 2013.
Also this week, TWW posted a statement on its website acknowledging it could not verify its water met safety standards in fall 2017 due to equipment failure. The post comes five months after TWW discovered the issue. (And five weeks after we published an article revealing that issue, among many others.)
