Trenton, N.J. — Trenton Water Works (TWW) will install water-main flushing assemblies in December in targeted areas of its 683-mile water-distribution system to strengthen its system management and maintain high water quality.
"The flushing devices will enable the water utility to flush water mains of aged water and sediment, improving overall water quality," said Sean Semple, Director of the city's Department of Water and Sewer, which operates Trenton Water Works. "This $1.7-million capital project is part of TWW's Legionella mitigation."
The first of the 170 flushing assemblies manufactured by Red Hed Manufacturing & Supply Company will be installed by contract vendor Dewcon, Inc. in Hamilton Township starting in December (weather permitting), followed by Trenton, Ewing Township, Lawrence Township, and Hopewell Township. Dewcon plans to install 15 flushing assemblies a week. TWW awarded the work to Dewcon through the public-contracting process.
Once all flushing assemblies are in place, TWW water-distribution-system personnel will operate the flushers and open fire hydrants as needed as part of the water utility's low, conventional, and high-velocity water-main flushing schedules. Discharging water from the distribution system using various water-industry methods improves water quality by reducing water age, removing sediment, tuberculation and biofilm, and maintaining targeted chlorine levels for disinfection.
On April 1, TWW announced its Low-Velocity Water Main Flushing Program. This months-long project aimed to discharge water from the water utility's distribution system at a low velocity to improve chlorine levels to mitigate the growth of pathogens, including Legionella. Legionella is a bacterium that causes Legionnaires' disease, a type of pneumonia.
"Achieving high water quality is TWW's paramount goal," added Semple. "It demands balanced chemical treatment, rigorous water-quality testing, and operational excellence to manage the water utility's sprawling distribution system effectively."
In 2019, TWW launched a $405-million, six-year capital plan. This level of investment is necessary to remove lead service lines from water-utility infrastructure, upgrade the Water-Filtration Plant and 683-mile water distribution system, comply with federal and state regulatory mandates, establish decentralized water storage to protect the water supply, and increase operational efficiency.
Purchased by the City of Trenton in 1859, the TWW system grew by constructing the open Pennington Avenue Reservoir in 1899 and the original Water-Filtration Plant in 1914. In the last 50 years, TWW infrastructure has undergone numerous capital improvements into a sprawling system consisting of a Water-Filtration Plant, an open reservoir, three pump stations, more than 8,000 valves, 3,578 fire hydrants, and six interconnections between TWW and other water suppliers.
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