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Council presses Trenton Water Works after brief frazzle-ice shutdown and DEP letter
Summary
Council members pressed Trenton Water Works leaders about a Dec. 12 frazzle-ice shutdown that paused pumping for about 2–3 hours. Officials said the plant was restored, the reservoir holds roughly three days of supply, temporary blowers and a rental compressor were used, RFPs for engineering fixes are under way and DEP correspondence triggered public concern about communications.
Trenton Water Works staff told the City Council on Dec. 16 that a brief shutdown caused by frazzle ice on Dec. 12 lasted approximately two to three hours and that the plant was returned to service shortly thereafter.
Director Semple and Business Administrator Maria Richardson said staff followed reporting protocols to the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and used the facility reservoir during the outage. Semple stated the reservoir provides roughly three days’ supply and typically refills in 24–48 hours depending on demand. To manage frazzle ice, the utility deployed continuous blower cycles and rented a higher-capacity compressor to increase the frequency of blow-offs from once or twice per hour to four or five times per hour.
Council members said they first learned of the DEP letter through public postings and social media and asked for better advance notice; several council members said council should be informed when DEP sends regulatory correspondence that affects operations. Richardson said staff received the DEP letter but held follow-up public messaging while they checked material inaccuracies in the DEP paperwork and coordinated with DEP on appropriate corrective steps.
Council pressed staff about the frequency of shutdowns this year and how often the reservoir has been tapped because of plant outages; staff did not provide a complete count on the record but said scheduled maintenance, diver work and intake cleaning have led to planned shutdowns in 2025. Officials said an engineering RFP for long-term intake improvements is advertised and that another assessment RFP (funded by DEP) awaits DEP specifications.
The meeting also acknowledged litigation and contested procurement related to intake design and installation. Council legal counsel noted there is a claim alleging user error that has been denied and that the city will advertise an RFP for special counsel focused on construction design-defect issues; some matters were deferred to executive session during the meeting.
Council urged staff to clarify communications procedures so elected members and the public receive timely, accurate updates about water operations. Semple and Richardson emphasized there was no health advisory or need for a boil-water alert stemming from the brief frazzle-ice shutdown.
