PEQUANNOCK WATER TREATMENT PLAN UPGRADES

Newark Mayor Ras J. Baraka, was joined by DEP Commissioner Shawn M. LaTourette, Licensed Operator of Treatment and Distribution, Jerry Notte and Newark Water & Sewer Utilities Director, Kareem Adeem, to celebrate the launch of $23 million in new upgrades for a facility at the Pequannock Water Treatment Plant in West Milford, New Jersey. 

When completed, the systemwill improve overall water quality and increase the plant's processing capacity from 35 million gallons per day (gpd) to 60 million gpd. The project, which is being financed by the New Jersey Water Bank, a partnership between the DEP and the NJ I-Bank, was designed by Kleinfelder Inc., and constructed by Spectraserv. The project will replace obsolete equipment and valves, and includes filter media improvements and upgrades to the backwash system, and will create an estimated 275 direct construction jobs.

"This is a continuation of our pledge to supply Newark residents with clean and pristine drinking water," Mayor Baraka said. "Our investment record is clear. We put about $200 million in our water and sewer infrastructure even before we undertook the $190 million project to replace every known lead line in the city." 

"The Murphy Administration is proud to partner with the City of Newark and water systems across New Jersey by investing in infrastructure upgrades that will better protect public health and deliver clean drinking water for our children and families," said DEP Commissioner LaTourette. "The state-of-the-art improvements that we celebrate today at the Pequannock Water Treatment Plant represent yet another step forward for our State, reaffirming our commitment to clean water for every community."

"We have five outdoor reservoirs that store 14 billion gallons of water," said Kareem Adeem, Director of the Department of Water and Sewer Utilities. "These new systems will help us draw and purify that water with greater speed and efficiency."

The improvement project follows the City's Lead Service Line Replacement Program, which replaced all of Newark's more than 23,000 lead lines in less than three years, earning praise as a "model city" for lead line replacement from Vice President Kamala Harris, environmentalists, and the media.