Bill > A647

Introduced Session

This bill would appropriate $2.125 million from the General Fund to Howell Township in Monmouth County to help pay for the extension of drinking water pipes to the oldest and most economically stressed neighborhood in the township. Howell Township is currently pursuing the final stages of approval by the Department of Environmental Protection for the construction of about 8.5 miles of sanitary sewer mains throughout the Freewood Acres neighborhood and along State Route 9. These sewer mains are needed to replace many failing septic systems in the area that are polluting the most highly contaminated watershed sub-basin in the watershed of the North Branch of the Metedeconk River. It is hoped that the sewer project will be paid for with the assistance of low interest loans provided by the New Jersey Environmental Infrastructure Trust. In order to install these sewers, however, it will be necessary to dig up the roads in the area. Because the drinking water for many of the residential lots in the Freewood Acres neighborhood is currently supplied by old, uncased shallow groundwater wells in an area with a very high groundwater table, it would be protective of the public health and safety, environmentally beneficial, and an efficient use of resources to install water mains to the area at the same time as the sewer mains are being installed. Unfortunately, the financial cost to the township to partner with New Jersey American Water (the water purveyor for most of Howell Township) to extend water mains to the Freewood Acres neighborhood is beyond the financial means of the municipality (and, reportedly, further contribution to the project from New Jersey American Water is limited by regulatory requirements of the Board of Public Utilities). Consequently, this bill is necessary to ensure that this important public infrastructure project can proceed.

AI Summary

Committee Categories

Sean Kean (R)*, 

Introduced, Referred to Assembly Environment, Natural Resources, and Solid Waste Committee (on 01/09/2024)

Official Document