In our spotlight on Business Report tonight, the future of the Trenton Waterworks has been the subject of fiery debate in recent weeks and tensions between city leaders and state regulators ratcheted up at a special city council meeting last night.

Authorities have warned for months that the utility, which serves more than 200,000 customers across Trenton and surrounding suburbs, is on the brink of failure, and that the best way to save it is through regional leadership.

But that plan faces intense pushback from Trenton leaders who are adamant the waterworks should remain solely under city control.

While New Jersey's top environmental official tried to change their minds last night but faced a grilling instead.

Senior correspondent Joanna Gorgeous reports.

I'm here to talk about the the infrastructure, the ability to maintain it, and a better way that can be pursued that does not ripple away from the city, its asset and ability to generate revenue.

It's a fight for control of the capital city's water utility, Trenton Waterworks, or so.

Something in a fiery city council meeting last night.

Shawn LaTourette, commissioner of the Department of Environmental Protection, presented a litany of reasons why the state supports Trenton and surrounding suburbs, creating a regional authority to govern its water utility.

The system is at an extreme high risk of systemic failure that the city alone cannot repair, even with the support and stabilization from the GDP.

The city received two recent reports outlining the utility's failures with five options for moving forward, one of them regionalization.

The next step would be a study to analyze what regionalization could look like.

Mayor Reed Gusciora worked with LaTourette to develop an RFP for the study.

LaTourette thought the city council was on board, but the council knew nothing about it and thought they were being strong armed when they received a letter from the DEP at the end of July.

I think that that's where you're getting the biggest pushback in in the same time the D.A.

is saying you need to invest in regionalization, all options to see what would be comfortable for Tony.

But if you thought that's where the two sides came together, not even close.

The council pushed back on the idea that the utility has failing.

Hanging their hats on the safe drinking water in the latest tests.

Let me add to that.

The body of water in front of me is a fan, correct?

Yes.

But I think that misses the point of the system.

Is receiving a lot of support from the state government and from outside contractors.

The concern is that that is unsustainable.

The DEP sued Trenton Water Works in 2020 for several compliance failures, but that lawsuit was put on hold by LaTourette two years ago when he bolstered the system with state support even helping them complete grant applications.

T WW is still not in compliance in many areas, but maintaining local control is a point of deep pride for Torontonians who rejected privatization several years ago.

You're saying that you're not sure of a sustainable or not?

My presence to you is if you were here not to take something that is a value to us and to collaborate with us, why not include us to maintain our own.

Compliance with the law is your obligation, not mine.

Compliance with the Safe Drinking Water Act is your obligation, not mine.

And the goal is not selling it off.

The goal is not to take it away, but to help put it on a better footing.

The regionalization study would analyze the financials of Trenton Water Works and how it could bond separate and apart from the city, which LaTourette says would put both the city and the utility on better financial footing.

One council member suggested creating a Trenton run authority.

What are your thoughts.

On you know, that you need an alternative, which is an old model with a credible reform plan when there is nothing to lose and B, we put out an RFP to bring some contracted additional support into the city.

And not a single company would be if you tried to do a separate authority that still of the city, I think you'll have that same problem.

I was in favor of the regionalization study as a way for council to get that information.

From the beginning I still am, but it shouldn't be forced upon Torontonians.

As the commissioner made clear tonight.

But the council also heard from community members and Water Works employees who made their case clear as water.

Their value to our asset.

Don't give it away.

We already homeless.

You got people sleeping in the street.

We have no other revenue.

And if they take that, as were they going to take everything you got?

Well, let me tell Murphy something and you can take this back to the residents in the city of Trenton.

We are ready to fight.

If it's a fight they want, it's a fight that might just end with both sides in court.

If the utility isn't able to meet compliance very soon.

In Trenton, I'm Joanna Girgis, NJ Spotlight News.

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