BY MARK ROSMAN
Staff Writer
JACKSON – Plans are moving forward on two projects planned by the Jackson Township Municipal Utilities Authority (JTMUA) that the authority says will allow it to continue to meet the needs of its customer base.
Two public hearings were held in June, according to JTMUA Executive Director David Harpell. There was limited public comment and no major complaints about either project, he said.
Transcripts of those public hearings have been forwarded to the state Department of Environmental Protec-tion (DEP) for review. Harpell said DEP administrators will be looking for any significant unanticipated impact on the JTMUA’s rates or on the environment that might result from the construction of the projects.
Harpell said that as a part of its review the DEP may make comments on the projects which the JTMUA administrators and commissioners would address.
The proposed cost of the construction projects is $12 million, to be financed by 20-year bonds issued through the New Jersey Environmental Infrastructure Trust. Harpell said he expects the work to be completed for less than $12 million.
JTMUA administrators are in the process of determining what, if any, impact the construction projects will have on its customer rates. The authority will not have a rate increase in 2007, he said.
If no major stumbling blocks crop up, the JTMUA would look to put the work out to bid later this year or early in 2008. The DEP will be responsible for authorizing the authority to go to bid for the projects, he said.
The tentative schedule calls for the completion of all work in September 2009.
According to Harpell, the JTMUA is proposing to build a new water treatment plant on Manhattan Street near London Drive. The new treatment plant would include some office space and would replace the 30-year-old Manhattan Street water treatment plant that Harpell previously called antiquated.
The proposed treatment plant would be a duplicate of the JTMUA’s water treatment plant on Hyson Road. The Hyson Road facility was upgraded in 2006, Harpell said.
The purpose of a treatment plant is to take ground water that is drawn from wells and to treat the water before it is sent out into the JTMUA system. The treatment primarily consists of removing iron and manganese from the water, Harpell explained. The wells are supplied by an aquifer.
In conjunction with the construction of the new water treatment plant on Manhattan Street, the JTMUA is proposing to construct a test well No. 17 within the new water treatment facility site. The test well will be used to determine a design and construction of a backup supply well for well No. 8 and well No. 9 currently in use, according to a legal notice published by the JTMUA.
The authority is also proposing to build a one million gallon elevated water storage tank near the intersection of North Hope Chapel Road and East Veterans Highway. The proposed site for the new storage tank is near Jackson Liberty High School, according to Harpell.
According to the JTMUA’s legal notice, the elevated storage tank is necessary due to the growth that has occurred in the southeast quadrant of Jackson, including Jackson Liberty High School. The elevated tank will provide improved water pressure, a substantial increase in elevated storage and improved fire protection in this region of Jackson, according to the authority.
The construction projects are expected to include a negotiated shared services agreement between the JTMUA and the Jackson Board of Education. Harpell said the agreement will call for the school board to give property to the JTMUA for the new water treatment plant and storage tank and for the JTMUA to waive connection fees so that existing schools can be hooked up to the public water system.
The JTMUA provides water service to about 10,000 business and residential customers and sewer service to about 8,500 business and residential customers primarily on the east side of Jackson, Harpell said.