$6.3 million water and
sewer project to begin
South River officials say water quality may improve
Relief may finally be on the way for South River residents who have been experiencing water and sewer problems for several years.
This past week, the borough announced that it would advertise for bids to refurbish water and sewer lines. The $6.3 million project will rehabilitate water and sewer lines throughout the borough.
Estimates for the two-phase water replacement project are expected to come in at about $5.4 million, while the sanitary sewer project is estimated at $900,000.
The borough is hoping to have bids for the project awarded by the end of November, and most of the work will be performed sometime in the spring.
The first phase of the water project will remove internal pipeline corrosion and install a cement mortar lining, which will protect the pipelines from future corrosion.
Officials say the new lining will improve water flow and overall water quality.
This phase of the project will also install new or replace existing fire hydrants, water main extensions and water valves.
The second phase of the project will not be done until a later time, officials said.
In addition to the first phase of the water project, the borough is also anticipating Phase 1A of the sanitary sewer project to begin concurrently.
That project will clean and inspect the sanitary sewer mains and seal pipe joints in order to minimize infiltration and extraneous water.
Officials hope that the work will reduce the borough’s bill from the Middlesex County Utility Authority for wastewater treatment and reduce sewer backups during inclement weather.
According to Borough Council President David Sliker, the project will not have an impact on taxpayers.
Unlike most municipalities, the borough of South River has its own water supply, which it sells to residents in conjunction with sewer use.
In order to make the borough’s water department self-sufficient, the borough had to increase the water tax rate for residents in 1999 and this year.
In December, residents were hit with a 0.9 cent tax-rate increase per $100 of assessed value.
The 0.9 cent tax-rate increase was the second in two years.
In 1998, residents were hit with the first 0.9 cent tax-rate increase. The increase equated to about $24.47 a year for a homeowner with a home assessed at $77,000.
The increase was said to generate about $135,000 in revenue for one year.
"It’s obvious that in order for us to accomplish this project, we had to gradually raise our water rates," Sliker said.
With the water-rate increase over the past two years, the borough’s water department has become self-supporting, so the borough can now gain from the sale of water to residents, Sliker said.
Prior to this year, there was no surplus available in the borough’s water department to do any of the projects needed without causing an impact on residents, Sliker said.
The refurbishing project will also aid in alleviating some water problems on the northern end of town.
Last year, the borough connected hydrant lines on the dead-end streets in the area in an effort to end water-corrosion problems that had plagued residents who lived on many of the streets.
"This is the largest infrastructure project that the borough of South River has undertaken in well over two decades," said Sliker.

