Moorestown Takes First Step Toward Permanent Solution For Water Issues

MOORESTOWN, NJ — Moorestown Council took the first step toward funding upgrades at the North Church Street and Hartford Road water treatment plants during their meeting Monday night at town hall.

Council unanimously approved a pair of proposed ordinances on introduction to fund preliminary engineer and design expenses for both projects.

The North Church Street project will cost $1,500,000, with $1,425,000 to be borrowed in bonds or notes. The Hartford Road project will cost $1,500,000, with $997,500 to be borrowed in bonds or notes. The public hearing and final vote on both projects will take place at the April 24 meeting.

Approval doesn’t mean the projects will start soon. It is only put in place for design and planning at this point.

Upgrades are needed to help eliminate the unregulated contaminant Trichloropropane 123 (TCP 123), first identified in the township’s water supply in its 2013 Water Quality Report, as well as Trichloroethylene (TCE) and radiological elements.

The township’s current plans are to treat for TCP 123 and TCE with an HMO filter, and treat radiological elements with a secondary system.

The upgrades will also bring the treatment plants up to their maximum water pumping capacity, which is 2.88 million gallons per day. That is the most the township is permitted to pump.

A temporary treatment involving the use of carbon filtration tanks has been in place while the township explored solutions for a temporary treatment. Moorestown has also been purchasing water from New Jersey American Water, an expensive endeavor that saw the township spend about $2 million more than it normally would have to buy water from the company each of the last three years.

The township will also conduct a 72-hour testing of two wells at the Kings Highway Water Treatment Plant. The wells will run at maximum capacity for 72 hours, and the township will monitor what contaminants come out.

Meanwhile, the source of the contamination remains unknown.

At the March 13 meeting, Moorestown Water Group member Mike Babcock told council that Erin Brokovich’s team has concluded that the contaminants are man-made and may know the possible source.

On Monday night, Township Manager Tom Merchel said he was in the process of arranging a meeting with Bob Bowcock, who has been leading the investigation for Brokovich's team.