New Jersey American Water Acquires Mercer Town Water System For $6.4M

MERCER COUNTY, NJ — New Jersey American Water has completed its $6.4 million acquisition of Hopewell Borough's water system, the company announced Tuesday, adding roughly 930 water customer connections to its statewide network.

The formerly municipally owned system had been purchasing water from New Jersey American Water for a portion of the borough's supply since 2005. The state Board of Public Utilities approved the municipal consent Tuesday, allowing the company to begin providing water service to Hopewell Borough customers as of the transaction's closing.

Voters approved the agreement to sell the system by referendum in November 2025.

"Following a thorough and thoughtful process with ample community input, we are confident this is the right path forward for Hopewell Borough," Hopewell Borough Mayor Ryan Kennedy said. "By partnering with New Jersey American Water, we are addressing long-term infrastructure needs today while securing dependable, high-quality service and stable rates for our community."

As part of the deal, New Jersey American Water will invest $7 million in infrastructure improvements to the system within the first five years of ownership. Planned upgrades include identifying and replacing all lead and galvanized steel service lines, and upgrading aging customer meters, fire hydrants, and water mains, according to the company.

New Jersey American Water also plans to shut down the borough's one operating well, which has elevated PFAS levels, and supply the community instead through its Canal Road and Raritan Millstone water treatment plants, which the company says meet current state and federal drinking water standards. Additional improvement projects will be identified as the company continues analyzing the system.

"After providing water to Hopewell Borough through an interconnection for over two decades, we're proud to officially welcome the community into our footprint," said Mark McDonough, president of New Jersey American Water. "Our priority is to deliver safe, clean, reliable and affordable service for the 3 million people we serve statewide, including Hopewell. As the community's water provider, we'll start by stabilizing rates, making smart, targeted investments to strengthen the system, and working to address PFAS by first transitioning away from the system's existing well."

Residents will receive additional information by mail in the coming weeks, and details are also available on a dedicated webpage on the company's website under Customer Service and Billing, according to New Jersey American Water. Hopewell Borough residents will also gain access to the company's MyWater online account management portal and its H2O Help to Others program, which assists qualifying customers with bill payments.

The acquisition is New Jersey American Water's tenth in the past five years, adding more than 25,000 new water and wastewater customers during that span, the company said.

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