FREEHOLD – Municipal officials in Freehold Borough are seeking permits from the state as they proceed with the planned construction of a new water treatment plant.
On March 4, the Borough Council authorized Business Administrator Joseph Bellina and Borough Engineer William Wentzien to sign and submit an application to obtain a treatment works approval permit from the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and, in a separate resolution, a freshwater wetlands general permit from the DEP.
The council also authorized Bellina and Wentizen to sign and submit an application to obtain soil erosion and sediment control certification from the Freehold Soil Conservation District, the state’s soil conservation district in Middlesex and Monmouth counties.
The application for the soil erosion and sediment control certification will cost $1,560, the application for the freshwater wetlands general permit will cost $1,000 and the application for the treatment works approval permit will cost $850.
According to the resolution regarding the treatment works approval permit’s application, the regulatory process of constructing the new water treatment plant requires approval from the DEP in order to install a new septic system. The DEP must also provide approval to perform underground utility work in a buffer area.
Additionally, the regulatory process requires approval from the Freehold Soil Conservation District to ensure that any soil erosion and sediment is controlled.
The cost of building a new treatment plant in Freehold Borough has been estimated at $4.4 million. The existing treatment plant was constructed in 1949 and most recently upgraded in 1977.
Borough officials have said that for multiple reasons, it would be impractical to improve the existing plant. They have authorized the construction of a new water treatment plant on the well field across Waterworks Road from the existing plant.
In June 2018, borough officials awarded the firm Mott MacDonald a $440,000 contract to design a new water treatment plant.