"In the summer of 1975, Trenton’s public water utility experienced so many failures that its reservoir ran dry and residents had no water, forcing fire trucks to line up for miles to pump water from the suburbs and civil defense to truck in water, too.
The system didn’t fully recover for eight months. In a 1976 report, state environmental officials blamed “human error, equipment failure, and design vulnerability” for causing the crisis.
Fifty years later, little has changed at Trenton Water Works, according to two new independent reports the state Department of Environmental Protection issued Monday.
Dysfunctional government, a “culture of complacency,” and other recurring challenges have put the utility at “extremely high risk of systemic failure,” the department’s commissioner, Shawn LaTourette, told reporters.
The utility, which serves 225,000 customers in the capital city and its suburbs, should be removed from the city’s sole control and reconfigured into a regional authority, LaTourette said."
Dana DiFilippo reports for States Newsroom January 27, 2025.
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