Passaic Valley Water Commission Starts the 2023 Drinking Water Week Celebration by Replacing its 1,000^th Lead Service Line

(Clifton, N.J. – May 08, 2023) – Passaic Valley Water Commission (PVWC) celebrates Drinking Water Week (May 7-13) this year by announcing it has replaced its 1,000th lead service line since last fall. PVWC has been removing lead service lines for nearly four decades and has accelerated the effort by awarding $36 million in contracts in July 2022 to focus exclusively on 6,500 customer-owned lead service lines. This effort is focused on Paterson, Passaic, Clifton, and Prospect Park, and has been funded through the New Jersey Infrastructure Bank with 80% of the funding in the form of principal forgiveness that does not need to be repaid.

Drinking Water Week is a decades-long tradition led by the American Water Work Association (AWWA), aimed towards recognizing the vital role water plays in everyday life for both water professionals and the communities they serve.

“PVWC is proud to be a partner in celebrating Drinking Water Week and letting our customers know about the incredible work done by water professionals around the world,” said Executive Director Jim Mueller. “Most people don’t know where their water comes from.  They turn on a faucet and crisp, clean water comes out.  PVWC is responsible for providing clean drinking water to hundreds of thousands of customers across North Jersey, a responsibility we take seriously, and we want people to know what we do,” he continued.

Not only is PVWC getting the lead out, but New Jersey’s largest public water utility is currently replacing nearly 1,100 hydrants, as well as planning to upgrade aging infrastructure. The water commission recently awarded 4 engineering contracts totaling about $1 million, which are necessary to help evaluate conditions and alternatives and to develop a prioritization plan so the company can begin the initial phase of replacing aging cast iron water pipes in the ground. A plan to improve water quality by upgrading these aging pipes is anticipated to be complete by the end of 2023, including identifying the first phase of work to be executed soon after.  We are also continuing to remove PFAS from drinking water at our Nosenzo Pond treatment facility.

Thank you, Passaic Valley Water Commission employees, for your dedication and hard work to ensure our customers have confidence in the clean drinking water they receive from us.