Mercer residents are encouraged to save

Hundreds of thousands called to immediately limit water consumption
Ice build-up has taken a processing plant offline
Does it affect water quality?

---

Hundreds of thousands of New Jersey residents are being urged to immediately limit water use and not turn on the tap unless absolutely necessary.

Trenton Water Works (TWW) issued an emergency warning Wednesday evening after their main water filtration plant had to be taken offline.

The “restriction of water use” advisory encourages customers to use water only for essential purposes or emergencies, such as firefighting.

Below freezing temperatures have caused significant ice buildup in the Delaware River. TWW’s main filtration plant draws water directly from the river, and the ice prevents that from happening.

“We are taking this action because ice buildup in the Delaware River, TWW’s raw water source, has affected our water filtration plant operations on Route 29 South in Trenton,” said Michael Walker, TWW’s director of communications and public affairs.

For now, TWW takes water from the Pennington Avenue Reservoir. They have also made an emergency connection with New Jersey American Water to supply customers until the Trenton plant can be brought back online.

Who is affected?

Customers of Trenton Water Works.

TWW supplies water to over 200,000 people in the city of Trenton as well as parts of the surrounding municipalities of Ewing Township, Hamilton Township, Lawrence Township and Hopewell Township

Can I take a shower?

Water is still flowing to TWW customers and you should not notice any changes in water pressure, but you are encouraged to limit water usage.

The advisory says water should only be used for essential or emergency situations, such as firefighting.

It is not recommended to fill a bathtub, and if you have to take a shower, do it quickly.

You may also consider postponing the operation of the dishwasher and washing machine until the advisory is lifted.

Is the water safe?

Yes, according to the work.

Wednesday’s advisory says, “The water is safe to drink and of high quality. TWW continues to monitor the Delaware River and take steps to bring the water filtration plant back online so it can resume its normal treatment operations.”

“Under the boundary water use guidance, customers should see no changes to their faucets and fire districts throughout the system are unaffected.”

If you have questions about the advisory, customers can call the utility’s Office of Communications and Public Outreach at (609) 989-3033 between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.

Report a fix | Contact our newsroom