New Jersey American Water Complies With Water Act, Company Says

New Jersey American Water is in compliance with each requirement of the state’s Water Quality Accountability Act, the water company said in providing details about its required submission to the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) Division of Water Supply and Geoscience on Oct. 18, 2019.

“We are pleased to report that all New Jersey American Water systems that meet the criteria for the standards set by the Water Quality Accountability Act are in compliance,” New Jersey American Water President Cheryl Norton said. “Our more than 800 employees, including water quality, plant operations, and water distribution professionals, work hard to ensure the treatment and delivery of water service to the more than 2.7 million people we serve across the state, and these results are a testament to their dedication to excellence.”

The Water Quality Accountability Act established requirements for public water systems to improve the safety, reliability, and administrative oversight of their water systems. It became law in 2017.

With a focus on accountability and transparency, this law establishes statewide standards for investment into water systems with more than 500 service connections for all water purveyors that is consistent with industry best practices. As part of the certification, the highest level of the company or municipality must sign off on the submissions.

New Jersey American Water, conducts extensive internal auditing quarterly to further ensure compliance, tracks progress with work management systems and also established a certification process involving licensed operators and the management team responsible for the systems, according to the water company, which said it was already in compliance before the law passed.

Additionally, all certifications were further supported by the various routine inspections conducted annually by the New Jersey Department of Environment Protection Water Supply.

“New Jersey American Water ensures compliance with the certification criteria by leveraging electronic work management systems, strong work practices and skilled employees to achieve superior safety and efficiency standards. This reinforces our commitment to the safe and reliable delivery of quality water service to all of our customers around the state,” Norton said.

As reflected in the certification submissions, New Jersey American Water is compliant in the following areas, as required by the Department of Environmental Protection – Division of Water Supply & Geoscience:

• Federal and New Jersey Safe Drinking Water Regulations
• Licensing of Water Supply and Wastewater Operators
• Water Supply Allocation Permits
• Water Quality Accountability Act Provisions due in October 2019 as follows:

• Hydrant & Valve Maintenance: New Jersey American Water has routinely inspected and maintained valves and all fire hydrants throughout its systems statewide.
• Cybersecurity: New Jersey American Water has a robust cyber-security program and has submitted it in accordance with the requirements of the law.
• Violations & Mitigation: New Jersey American Water has no systems with a Notice of Violation (NOV) that require a mitigation plan.
• Infrastructure Improvement Investment: New Jersey American Water completes regular long-term comprehensive planning studies that drive its capital investments. The company has a long track record of planning and managing needed system improvements, and there is a statewide asset management plan for the systems included in this law.

New Jersey American Water said it invests more than $350 million annually — about a million dollars a day — into its systems to ensure quality and reliability. The company has an asset management plan that includes about a 90- to 100-year pipe replacement rate annually, which is well above the Water Quality Accountability Act’s suggested 150-year rate.

More information about New Jersey American Water’s compliance with the Water Quality Accountability Act is available at www.newjerseyamwater.com, under Water Quality.