HOWELL — The Township Council has adopted an ordinance that will begin to advance a plan to bring sewer service to the Freewood Acres section of Howell.
Freewood Acres is the area of numbered streets that intersect Route 9 just north of Interstate 195.
Estimates place the cost of the sewer project at $13.7 million. Officials have said there is a need to address ongoing issues that involve failing septic systems and noxious odors in Freewood Acres.
On May 18, the council adopted an ordinance authorizing the payment of design costs for the Freewood Acres and Route 9 sewer extension project.
The ordinance appropriates $825,000 from the sewer capital improvement fund within the sewer utility capital fund to pay for the design costs of the project.
Residents of Freewood Acres currently rely on a combination of wells and septic systems, while some homes are connected to a Manasquan River Regional Sewerage Authority (MRRSA) line that runs through the area, according to James Herrman, Howell’s director of community development.
There are 620 residential lots in Freewood Acres, 85 of which are connected to the MRRSA line.
The project that could result in the construction of a new sewer system in Freewood Acres will be several years in the making and will require permits to be obtained from the state Department of Environmental Protection and the state Department of Transportation, according to municipal officials.
In other business, the council adopted an ordinance that will fund improvements to sewer pump stations throughout Howell. A total appropriation of $120,000 has been authorized, which includes the issuance of $114,000 in bonds and notes to finance a portion of the costs for the improvements.