NORTH WILDWOOD CITY UTILITY RECONSTRUCTION

North Wildwood City recently completed a utility reconstruction project that is being funded with approximately $16.5 million in loans from the NJ Water Bank, a joint low-rate funding program of the DEP and the NJ I-Bank. This project qualified for principal forgiveness totaling $3,103,960 as it addressed damage from Superstorm Sandy and improved resilience for future storms. Including interest cost savings, total savings for this project is estimated to be $9.7 million, over the 30-year term of the loan or 59% of the total project cost. In addition, this project created an estimated 198 direct construction jobs.  

The project included the repair and rehabilitation of the existing sanitary and storm sewer systems, which suffered premature failure due to the massive inflow of stormwater during Superstorm Sandy. The deteriorated sanitary sewer mains and the sewer laterals to the curb line were replaced with more resilient PVC pipes. In addition, solid brass caps were installed in the new sewer cleanouts to prevent stormwater from entering them in the future. New sanitary manholes were installed and fitted with drain pans and water-tight gasket seals. This project increased the capacity of the system preventing the deteriorated sewer mains from discharging sewage into coastal waters.  

According to Patrick Rosenello, Mayor of North Wildwood City, "This project enhances the efficiency of the utility and improves resilience in the case of future storms, while protecting the environment from potential sewage discharge. These advantages, combined with shrewd financial management, will benefit our ratepayers by providing efficient service and a staggering financial savings of almost 60% of the project costs." 

This project was designed by Van Note Harvey Associates and constructed by Perna Finnegan, Inc., Garden State General Contracting, and Asphalt Paving Systems, Inc.

Pictures courtesy of Van Note Harvey.