NJDEP Approval Puts Moorestown On Path To Water Treatment

Moorestown, NJ -- Moorestown has the approval from the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) it’s been waiting for.

At its council meeting on July 25, Moorestown Council approved a proposed ordinance on introduction to set appropriate $380,000 and borrow $361,000 to buy equipment for the North Church Street Water Treatment Plant.

The approval, dated July 1, 2016, allows for the installation of two Calgon Carbon Granular Activated Carbon (GAC) units that are about 12 feet in diameter, with a sidewall depth of 16 feet.

They will be used for the temporary removal of Trichloropropane 1,2,3 and Trichlorethylene from Well 9. Well 7 is not part of the plan, and must remain shut down.

The approval was granted as an actual extended pilot test, and NJDEP noted that the treatment proposed by the township has deficiencies, and that the treatment is subject to periodic testing to show its effectiveness.

The township will be required to provide quarterly testing results.

Design changes were needed for permanent approval.

• If testing samples exceed the designed removal level, the operation of Well 9 will end until the units are replaced.
• If 50 percent of the GAC unit’s depth shows a 25 percent breakthrough of TCP 1,2,3 or TCE, raw water samples will have to be submitted weekly. Currently, the township would be required to submit raw water samples monthly.
• If any sample from 75 percent depth of the GAC shows a 50 percent breakthrough, the unit must be replaced within 30 days, and/or the well must be shut down.

The agreement was given in accordance with NJDEP’s Administrative Consent Order (ACO), which council adopted on July 1.

The term of the treatment expires on June 30, 2017, but can be extended if the township shows the process effectively and reliably removes TCP 1,2,3 and TCE from the water.

Additionally, council unanimously approved a resolution rescinding a $198,850 contract previously awarded to Level-1 Construction to install the GAC tanks at the water treatment plant because the plan didn’t cover the treatment for gross alpha, which NJDEP said was necessary as part of the ACO.