MAYOR BARAKA LAUNCHES NEW STATE-OF-THE-ART

PEQUANNOCK WATER TREATMENT PLANT UPGRADES

$23 million project will increase water processing capacity from 35 million gallons per day to 60 million

Newark, NJ –- April 11, 2022 — Mayor Ras J. Baraka and other dignitaries today hoisted wrenches to launch $23 million in new upgrades for a state-of-the-art facility at the Pequannock Water Treatment Plant. The water treatment plant is located at 2224 Paterson-Hamburg Turnpike, in West Milford, New Jersey.

When completed, the state-of-the-art system will improve overall water quality and increase the plant’s processing capacity up to 60 million gallons per day. The project is financed by New Jersey Infrastructure Bank Program low-interest loan financing, designed by Kleinfelder Inc. and constructed by Spectraserv. It will also replace obsolete equipment, valves, filter media improvements and upgrades to the backwash system.

“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. We are also supporting the communities outside of Newark who depend on us for clean water, continuing to invest in our young chemists, scientists, and engineers, and being best and first in class with our entire infrastructure.”

“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 Commissioner of Environmental Protection Shawn M. 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 work will also include building a new system control center.

“This work is not only about needed maintenance, but state-of-the art improvements,” Director Adeem added. “It shows people all that goes on behind the scenes to make the water coming out of their tap among the best in the country.”

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