TRENTON, N.J. — Trenton Water Works (TWW) today announced that it has secured approximately $11.3 million through the nationwide PFAS litigation against chemical manufacturers, providing significant financial resources to help modernize treatment infrastructure, enhance laboratory capabilities, and ensure continued compliance with evolving federal and state drinking water regulations.
The settlement, which Mayor W. Reed Gusciora pursued vigorously for Trenton, is part of a nationwide effort involving thousands of public water systems to hold manufacturers financially accountable for costs associated with per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), commonly known as “forever chemicals.”
Over the next 36 months, TWW plans to use settlement proceeds, minus legal fees, to upgrade the water filtration plant’s carbon treatment system, modernize its laboratory, and upgrade monitoring and analysis equipment used to evaluate drinking water quality and treatment performance.
These investments will strengthen the water utility’s ability to monitor and treat PFAS and other regulated contaminants, and provide the scientific and operational capabilities necessary to meet increasingly stringent drinking water standards.
The settlement proceeds will help fund these and other critical capital improvements throughout the TWW system necessary to comply with increasingly stringent PFAS regulations adopted by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection.
These investments complement TWW’s comprehensive 10-year, $763 million Capital Improvement Plan, which is modernizing the water utility’s treatment, storage, pumping, distribution and metering infrastructure.
TWW maintains a comprehensive, multi-barrier water quality program designed to protect public health from source water to the customer’s tap. At its state-certified laboratory, water quality professionals test water hourly for turbidity, chlorine residual, and pH to continuously verify treatment performance.
Additional sampling is routinely conducted throughout the distribution system for lead, copper, microbiological contaminants, and numerous other regulated drinking water parameters. TWW also monitors its drinking water for PFAS quarterly, providing the water utility with regular analytical data to track PFAS concentrations and verify continued compliance with applicable drinking water standards.
New Jersey has been a national leader in regulating PFAS in drinking water and was the first state to establish an enforceable drinking-water standard for a PFAS compound. New Jersey currently limits PFOA to 14 parts per trillion and PFOS and PFNA to 13 parts per trillion. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency subsequently established an even more stringent federal limit of 4 parts per trillion for PFOA and PFOS.
A part per trillion is an extraordinarily small amount—roughly equivalent to one drop of water in 20 Olympic-size swimming pools. In practical terms, these standards require water utilities to monitor for PFAS at extremely low concentrations. TWW conducts PFAS monitoring quarterly in accordance with these rigorous federal and state requirements, enabling the water utility to detect and track even trace amounts of these compounds in drinking water.
TWW also uses an industry-proven zinc orthophosphate corrosion-control program at its central pumping station. Zinc orthophosphate, an FDA-approved food additive, forms a protective coating inside water mains and household plumbing to reduce the potential for lead and copper to enter drinking water.
The historic Pennington Avenue Reservoir, which has served the region since 1899, remains an important operational asset by providing finished-water storage, maintaining system pressure and reliability, and supplying additional disinfection at the reservoir gatehouse before water enters the distribution system.
TWW is advancing a $400 million capital project to eventually decommission the reservoir, replace it with a decentralized network of finished-water storage tanks to be constructed in Trenton, Hamilton Township, Ewing Township, and Hopewell Township, and design and construct a new central pumping station.
Although TWW currently delivers drinking water with PFAS concentrations among the lowest in New Jersey—frequently near or below laboratory detection limits and, in many cases, almost undetectable—the water utility continues to invest proactively in advanced treatment technologies and scientific capabilities.
These investments will help ensure that customers continue to receive safe, reliable, and high-quality drinking water as regulatory standards evolve.
“Protecting public health while investing in critical infrastructure remains one of our highest priorities,” said Mayor W. Reed Gusciora. “This settlement helps ensure that companies responsible for manufacturing PFAS chemicals contribute to the cost of addressing these contaminants rather than placing that financial burden entirely on our customers. These funds will help strengthen our water system and support the long-term delivery of safe, dependable drinking water.”
“Meeting tomorrow’s drinking water standards requires planning and investment today,” said Sean Semple, Director of the Department of Water and Sewer. “Even utilities with excellent water quality must continue upgrading treatment processes, laboratory capabilities, and operational systems as regulatory requirements become more rigorous. This settlement provides meaningful financial support that will help TWW continue delivering high-quality drinking water while maintaining compliance with evolving regulations.”
“This settlement is part of a nationwide effort to hold chemical manufacturers financially accountable for the costs imposed on public water systems,” said Michael Walker, Chief of Communications and Public Outreach. “TWW’s drinking water meets stringent federal and state drinking water standards, and these funds will help us remain ahead of evolving PFAS regulations by investing proactively in treatment technology, laboratory capabilities, monitoring and analysis equipment, and critical infrastructure. This is an investment in public health and the long-term resilience of the TWW system.”
PFAS are a group of synthetic chemicals that have been widely used in industrial and consumer products for decades because of their resistance to heat, water, and oil.
As scientific understanding of PFAS has advanced, federal and state regulators have adopted increasingly stringent drinking water standards that require water utilities nationwide to expand monitoring, upgrade treatment systems, and strengthen laboratory testing capabilities.
TWW routinely monitors for PFAS and other regulated contaminants in accordance with all applicable federal and state Safe Drinking Water Act regulations. Its quarterly PFAS monitoring, together with its broader water quality testing program, helps the water utility evaluate trends, verify treatment performance, and maintain compliance as regulatory requirements evolve.
“The City of Trenton is fortunate to own and operate a public water system that is fundamental to the health and well-being of our region,” added Mayor Gusciora. “We will continue making the thoughtful, deliberate investments necessary to strengthen TWW while communicating this important work openly and frequently with our ratepayers and service-area residents.”
Residents with questions about TWW, water quality, operations, or its Capital Improvement Plan may contact Community Relations at (609) 989-3033.
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