Officials are taking steps to ensure that there is an emergency water supply to the western side of East Brunswick, but residents of Henry Street are opposing the plans.
Financial Director Lou Neely told the Township Council that, in the event of an emergency, there is a risk that part of the township located to the west of the New Jersey Turnpike might not have an adequate water supply in the event of an emergency.
“We feed that section of the community with [water] lines that go under the turnpike. If and when one of those lines break, there will not be adequate water flow in that section of the community to fight fires or give protection while the repairs are being made,” Neely said during the Oct. 12 council meeting. “Fortunately we haven’t had that. How long do we want to try to extend our good luck?
“Those lines are the lifeblood to give water to that area of the town,” Neely said, adding that the lines are approaching 50 years of age.
According to Neely, each year the township experiences an average of 60 breaks in water lines.
The proposed water tank would be built on a 30-acre tract that is owned by the township.
According to Neely, the tree line is 75 feet and the tank would be 160 feet high, so residents living close to the tank would not be able to see it.
“This would be in a wooded area, and it would not be readily visible for anyone who lives close to it because the foliage and trees would block it,” Neely said. “You will see it from Fresh Ponds Road driving by because it will be above the tree line.” During the public hearing on the proposed $6.1-million bond ordinance, which includes funds for the construction of an elevated water tower near Henry Street, residents voiced their concerns about the proposed tank.
“As a resident of Henry Street I would vehemently oppose it and ask the township to please consider another location,” Steve Hollander said. “Having a tower with that kind of volume of water in it right in our backyards is ominous, as well as an eyesore.”
Other residents complained that the funds for the water tank were rolled into a single bond ordinance with several other expenditures.
“We’re concerned that the township has chosen to embed the request for a one-million-gallon elevated water fluted column within a general capital improvement bond ordinance which also contains roadway improvements, which no one can say East Brunswick doesn’t need,” said Carol Kempner, a resident of Henry Street. “We request that the construction of the water tank be stripped from the current capital improvement request and considered separately.”
The ordinance appropriates $3.4 million for construction of the tank as well as the foundation. A water line that would go down Henry Street, according to Neely, would have to be a separate appropriation.
Despite the opposition, Councilman James Wendell agreed with Neely’s assessment that there is a need for a water tank in that part of the township.
“Having grown up on that side of the turnpike, I completely understand. I think that this is completely necessary. I think it’s something that has been necessary for quite a long time.”
Mayor David Stahl also affirmed the need for this water tower.
“For me, as the mayor of this town, I am totally in support of getting that water tower built. There is no doubt in my mind that there is a need for a water tower on that end of the turnpike.”
For Neely, this is the culmination of 40 years of trying to improve the township’s water supply.
“This is what I would consider to be one of the final phases to make our system safe, reliable, and provide protection to the public.”
The council voted unanimously to postpone a vote on the ordinance until the Nov. 9 meeting to give residents more time to weigh in.
If the council votes to move forward with the bonding ordinance, Neely said the next step would be designing and going out to bid for the tank.
Contact Michael Nunes at [email protected]