Public Trust in Leadership Will Not Be An Issue: Moorestown Mayor

Moorestown, NJ -- Moorestown Mayor Phil Garwood says public trust in the township’s leadership shouldn’t be an issue, despite an Administrative Consent Order (ACO) from the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) for reporting violations related to its water system, Moorestown Mayor Phil Garwood said on Monday.

Garwood made the statement following a letter to the editor submitted by Councilwoman Lisa Petriello that was published on Patch Monday morning.

In the letter, Petriello said the ACO showed a history of mistakes, violations and failures on the part of the township.

Petriello previously said she hoped the public wouldn’t lose faith in its leadership.

“We will not have any issues in the future,” Garwood said. “The public should be confident in our leadership moving forward.”

Issues raised by the ACO included “inaccurate information” about its water firm capacity in 2013, a notice of non-compliance for the township’s failure to monitor its gross alpha particle activity for June of last year, failure to report the results of testing for radiological contaminants during a brief period during which the wells were opened at the North Church Street Water Treatment Plant in 2014, failure to report the results of dioxane testing, as required and failing to report the presence of coliform in its water to residents for a year.

Township Utilities Manager Bill Butler had been in charge of filing reports with NJDEP. He resigned in May, and the search for a company to take over his position is underway.

The township is still in the process of implementing its short-term solution at the North Church Street Water Treatment Plant. The treatment is designed to remove Trichloropropane (TCP 1, 2, 3) and Trichlorethylene (TCE) from the township’s drinking water while a permanent solution is found. It is still awaiting certain approvals from NJDEP before work can begin.

The attached image of Moorestown Mayor Phil Garwood is a Patch file photo