PLUMSTED – A $1.5 million bond that officials said will be reserved for the construction of a water treatment plant and sewer system for downtown New Egypt has been given a final vote of approval by the Township Committee.
Mayor Jack Trotta said the funds from the bond will only be disbursed after the project receives approval from the state Department of Environmental Protection.
For nearly a decade, officials have been discussing a water and sewer project that they have said could make downtown New Egypt more appealing to a wider commercial base.
Plumsted officials are currently seeking approval from the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to build a waste water treatment plant on Route 537 that would facilitate a sewer system.
The New Egypt redevelopment plan also cites the construction of a sewer system as a key component for the proposed construction of a 100-home development on Province Line Road.
According to a draft permit from the DEP, the agency would set limits for the acceptable amounts of phosphorous, nitrates, total dissolved solids and heavy metals that would make their way into Crosswicks Creek by way of the treatment plant’s surface discharge system.
Although officials are still waiting for the DEP approvals, Trotta said several agreements among the township, the developer and the property owner have already been made in order to advance the process.
Ground could be broken on the sewer system and the water treatment plant in late 2016 or early 2017, Trotta said, with final completion expected about five to six years after that.