Trenton Water Works, the company that serves five municipalities in Mercer County, is under scrutiny for a lapse in water quality testing that went on for over a year.

The utility revealed that one employee has been fired for falsifying water quality reports between October 2022 and Dec. 31, 2023.

Those who drink that water are paying close attention to what happens next, including Ewing Township Mayor Bert Steinmann.

“I personally trust the water. I do think the water is safe to drink,” the mayor says. “I just think that they can do a much, much better job.”

Steinmann says he believes the pressure is now on Trenton Water Works to deliver quality services without any safety issues.

Ewing, along with Trenton, Hamilton, Hopewell and Lawrence make up the 225,000 customers that Trenton Water Works serves. The utility recently sent out a letter to customers informing them that for over a year, because of that now-fired staffer, there were no valid tests for total coliform bacteria, disinfectant byproducts, iron and manganese.

The utility says the violations did not impose an immediate threat.

Trenton Mayor Reed Gusciora says the city is now strengthening oversight of the water sample collection process.

In a statement, the mayor said, “This includes installing GPS tracking devices on fleet vehicles, pairing employees with supervisors, requiring photo documentation of sample sites, utilizing tablets with specialized software, and providing additional training.”

Gusciora added, "This individual’s actions do not reflect the integrity of the 115+ dedicated employees at TWW, who work tirelessly to provide safe and reliable drinking water to our customers. TWW’s water quality testing is comprehensive and adheres to federal and state Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) regulations."

That next step is of great concern to Steinmann who wants to know if certified staffers are running the utility.

“Their biggest problem is getting professional individuals to work for the city of Trenton and/or a private contractor to come in and turn this around,” Steinmann says.

The Department of Environmental Protection is helping with a consultant to aid in getting the proper managers, engineers and staffing needed to run the utility.