Despite Delay, Water Treatment Project Expected To Finish On Time

MOORESTOWN, NJ - Due to a dispute involving the bonding company and the contractor, the project to upgrade the Hartford Road Water Treatment Plant is six weeks behind schedule, according to the Alaimo Group.

However, the project is expected to wrap up on schedule, officials said during a presentation updating work at the Hartford Road and North Church Street plants last week.

The targeted completion date for the Hartford Road work remains Jan.13, 2020. If the full six weeks does need to be made up, the completion date would be stretched into February 2020. The delay is due to disagreement over the price of the bid.

“We told the contractor the delay is their fault, and we won’t grant them an extension,” Township Manager Thomas Neff said during the township council meeting on April 8 at town hall.

For each day beyond the deadline that the project runs, a fee will be assessed against the contractor unless the delay is legitimate. Officials don’t feel the bond delay is legitimate, but they also believe the project can reasonably be completed on time despite the loss of six weeks.

“You always expect inclement weather at the beginning of a project and that you’ll lose some time anyway, so this shouldn’t be a big deal,” Councilman Mike Locatell said.

“If we are going to need an extension, I’d rather we grant one now and be prepared,” Councilman Brian Donnelly said.

Neff said the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) is aware there could be a delay. Officials also meet with the contractor every three weeks to discuss the project.

When finished, the plant will produce an additional 2 million gallons of water. The North Church Street plant will produce an additional 1 million gallons of water when that project is complete.

The temporary treatment system at North Church Street is currently in place and will run until September, when Phase 3 of the project begins, according to officials. The plant will continue to operate while work is taking place, and the project is on schedule.

The goal of the upgrades is to eliminate Trichloropropane 1,2,3 (TCP 1,2,3), Trichloroethylene (TCE) and other contaminants that have been found in the water since 2013.