Need To Invest In Duplicate Water Main Line In East Brunswick: Mayor

EAST BRUNSWICK, NJ — East Brunswick residents would be served well if the township were to invest in a duplicate water main line, Mayor Brad Cohen said on Monday. The cost of this "critical piece" of infrastructure could reflect in consumers' water bills, the mayor said.

During the past weekend, a water main break occurred along Ryders Lane in New Brunswick. The break caused damage to a 30-inch pipe — a primary water source for the Township. Residents were asked to conserve water as emergency repair crews from the East Brunswick Water Department worked to restore the pipeline.

During Monday’s Council meeting Cohen said the water main break was a “critical issue” for the township.

"That water line is the only water line that comes into East Brunswick. It comes through New Brunswick...comes along Ryders Lane underneath Route 1 and into East Brunswick. It services all of East Brunswick and we sell water in turn to South River, Helmetta and Spotswood. So, if that line goes out we’re all out,” Cohen said.

The Township needs to invest in getting a duplicate line under Route 1 to avoid further issues. The current pipe is around 60 years old and wear-and-tear was but natural, the mayor said. “Can you imagine what would have happened if that pipe actually burst under Route 1? You would have had to close down Route 1. It is an interstate highway and East Brunswick would have borne the cost,” Cohen told the community.

Cohen said that in 2019 the cost of a duplicate water line was $13.5 million. “I don't even want to think about what they are now. But we clearly need to work on that,” he said.

He told residents that these costs might reflect on their future water bills.

“I just want everybody to keep that in mind the next time you get your water bill. These are the things that we need to be putting our investments towards and we need to build up the reserves so that we could bond for that and be able to pay those bonds over the course of time,” Cohen said.

Around three years ago, East Brunswick instituted a water rate increase. Residents’ water bills are a combination of usage and the cost of the infrastructure.

“In a state like New Jersey where the infrastructure is old, those costs go up,” Cohen said.

Some major improvements that need to be done in the township include changing water meters. Around 27 percent of the work is now complete across town, the mayor said.

Despite the water main break on Nov. 12, residents saw no real disruption in service, as the Township’s water department coordinated with the planning and engineering department, the county, and fire departments, to take stock of the matter.

“We had tankers out there in the event that there was an emergency because time is everything in this business,” Cohen said.

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