The mayor of Trenton is demanding the City Council take action to fund improvements to its water utility system.

Trenton Water Works serves the city and four surrounding townships -- Ewing, Lawrence, Hamilton and Hopewell. Mayor Reed Gusciora says there is a crisis when it comes to the water.

"I can't emphasize enough that we all really need to work together," says Gusciora.

Gusciora says the City Council has refused to fund improvements at Trenton Water Works. He says that can all change if the council approves to pay for upgrades.

"We have 170 dead-end pipes," says Gusciora. "Dead-end pipes cause water to stagnate and are a contributor factor to Legionella. We want to put flushers on these 170 dead-end pipes."

The mayor says the council has failed to fund mechanical upgrades, the replacement of lead pipes and the shutdown of the nearby Pennington Avenue reservoir.

The mayor of Hamilton says he has even asked for a state takeover because of the council's refusal to fund improvements.

Mark Lavenberg, the director of Trenton Water Works, says improvements are desperately needed. He says his staff is fully capable but needs the council's help to ensure clean water keeps coming out of the facility.

"Clean water should not be a part of politics," says Lavenberg. "And unfortunately, that's what has happened in this case."

Gusciora says Trenton has an $11 million surplus that could be used to fund projects to improve the water utility.