TWW Extends Customer Service Hours to Accommodate Higher Call Volume

Trenton, NJ — Trenton Water Works has extended its Customer Service call center operating hours to 7 p.m. on weeknights and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on weekends to accommodate a higher volume of customer account inquiries. TWW’s Customer Service telephone number is (609) 989-3055. Bilingual customer service representatives are available.

“We recently adjusted customer accounts for an unbilled ‘Water Ready’ charge from the fourth quarter of 2020, which has increased call volume to our office,” said Mark A. Lavenberg, Director of the city’s Department of Water and Sewer, which operates Trenton Water Works. “We want to make sure that all customer calls get answered quickly, professionally, and with a high level of customer service.”

Lavenberg added that the COVID-19 public-health emergency impacted Trenton Water Works, including its customer service, billing, and meter-reading operations. Revised work schedules and staffing adjustments caused a delay in meter reading and billing. These changes, designed to protect employees and customers from COVID-19, affected the water utility’s ability to read meters and generate billing. As a result, TWW did not bill customers for the “Water Ready” charge, a water-meter rental fee, for the fourth quarter of 2020.

In July 2021, TWW notified its customers regarding the “Water Ready” or “Ready to Serve” charge via a direct mailer in English and Spanish. And, in September, it posted information on its website that conveyed how the pandemic impacted its operations, including billing changes and the steps taken to correct the situation.

In October, TWW applied adjustments to all customer accounts for the water-meter rental fee and generated a bill run. It is this billing that has increased calls to Customer Service.

Customers and service-area residents can direct all non-billing-related questions and feedback to TWW’s Office of Communications and Community Relations at (609) 989-3033.

“We ask our customers for their patience and understanding as we address their questions regarding our recent bill run,” said Lavenberg. “We will keep our extended hours for as long as is needed and offer our customers who are experiencing payment challenges flexible ways to get caught up if their balance is more than $500.”

Purchased by the City of Trenton in 1859, Trenton Water Works (TWW) is one of the oldest and largest publicly owned water systems in the United States. TWW supplies approximately 28 million gallons of water per day to a quarter-million consumers in a five-municipality service area comprised of Trenton, Ewing Township, parts of Hamilton Township, Lawrence Township, and Hopewell Township. TWW operates a 60-million-gallon water-filtration plant and water-distribution system that consists of a 100-million-gallon reservoir, 683 miles of water mains, three pump stations, nearly 8,000 valves, 3,517 fire hydrants, and six interconnections between TWW and other water suppliers. TWW has approximately 63,000 metered customers.

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