Sen. Turner: Trenton must issue prompt boil water advisories or face penalties

TRENTON >> The capital city has apparently never been punished for issuing belated boil water advisories in the past, but Trenton Water Works could potentially face stiff penalties in the future if it continues providing customers with untimely notifications.

Following Trenton’s latest communications snafu during the Jan. 15 water crisis, State Sen. Shirley Turner (D-Mercer/Hunterdon) is proposing legislation that would expose TWW to potential civil penalties if it fails to issue a prompt public notice on H2O-safety concerns going forward.

“The health and well-being of our residents is too important to allow another debacle to occur like the one we saw this week and in the past,” Turner said Friday in a press statement. “Consumers should be notified immediately when a boil water advisory is in effect so they can take steps to protect the public’s health.”

On Martin Luther King Jr. Day this past Monday, Trenton experienced a boil water advisory due to “elevated turbidities and inadequate disinfection of delivered water,” according to the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection or DEP. The city, however, failed to inform residents of the boil water advisory for a half day, meaning customers could have ingested contaminated water during that period.

Read more: http://www.trentonian.com/health/20180120/sen-turner-trenton-must-issue-prompt-boil-water-advisories-or-face-penalties