Replacements Named as Moorestown Announces Resignation of Utilities Superintendent

Moorestown, NJ -- Amid an uproar in the township over the way Moorestown has handled its water situation, Township Manager Scott Carew announced that Bill Butler has resigned as Utility Superintendent during Monday night’s council meeting at town hall.

“Bill Butler has given his two weeks notice and started his new job this week,” Carew said.

When Butler left, he was also in charge of the Department of Public Works in the absence of Acting Director Kenneth Ewers.

As a result, the man in charge of two important township departments is now gone, and he will be replaced by four people temporarily while permanent replacements are found.

Former Maple Shade Township Manager George Hauber will serve as Interim Director of Public Works. He served as the township manager for Maple Shade for 20 years prior to his retirement.

“There’s no one better qualified,” Carew said. “When he was a manager in Maple Shade, he handled Public Works and Utilities.”

His position is part-time.

Current employee Doug Nims has been named Public Works Supervisor, essentially the second-in-command in the department, Carew said.

They will be in charge until Ewers returns, Carew said Monday night.

Butler’s primary position of Utility Superintendent will be split between two current employees.

Wayne McEwan has been named the operator in charge of the Water Department. He holds several certifications in both water and sewer management.

He is pursuing a T3 certification, which falls in the middle of the scale for water certification. He currently holds a T2 certificate.

Albert Vallen is in charge of the Sewer Department, and also holds four certifications, including a T3. He also holds an S3, and is pursuing his S4.

Carew said Moorestown has informed the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) of the changes, and the township continues to evaluate its options for a long-term solution.

The changes are being made as Moorestown prepares to implement its short-term solution at the North Church Street Water Treatment Plant. The treatment is designed to remove Trichloropropane (TCP 1, 2, 3) and Trichlorethylene (TCE) from the township’s drinking water while a permanent solution is found.

However, that process has been slow to develop as the township continues to wait for approval from NJDEP. It pulled a pair of ordinances from its May 9 agenda that would’ve put funding in place for the treatment because the project still has not been approved.

As of Monday night, the approval still had not come in.