(Clifton, N.J. – January 6, 2024) – Commitment to the water system and the communities Passaic Valley Water Commission (PVWC) serves spans 175 years. In 1849, Passaic Water Company was incorporated, securing franchises for water distribution with the City of Paterson and surrounding areas. Since that time the company has been an industry leader in infrastructure and technology investments including filtration, disinfection, pumping and distribution systems. As water treatment was developing throughout the 20th century, the water distribution system was being expanded to support the growth of local residences and businesses. To keep pace with evolving regulations and to maintain the water treatment and distribution systems, PVWC’s Board of Commissioners recently approved a 5-year capital plan of $809M, the largest capital plan ever undertaken by the company.
The company supplies high-quality drinking water to approximately 800,000 people in Northern New Jersey. There are currently about 650 miles of water mains operated and maintained by PVWC serving six (6) municipalities that include: Paterson, Clifton, Passaic, Prospect Park, Lodi, and North Arlington. By the year 2030 almost 60% of the pipes throughout PVWC’s distribution system will be at least 100 years old.
It has been 20 years since major upgrades were completed on treatment systems and 50 years since distribution system upgrades were performed. The age of these systems and evolving regulations requires PVWC to make the major capital investments which were recently approved. On average, customers can expect to see their rates go up a little over $1.00 per month. One gallon of PVWC’s water costs pennies, so water is usually the lowest household utility bill, compared to one 16-ounce bottle of water, which can cost over $2.00.
“As public stewards of health and safety, community well-being and economic growth, we are investing in our most critical areas to ensure continued delivery of high-quality drinking water to our customers,” said Jim Mueller, executive director at PVWC. “PVWC is evaluating cost-saving opportunities while also supporting community growth. Besides pursuing low-interest loans and maximizing principal forgiveness where a portion of the loan is not paid back, we are going to take advantage of any programs the State may offer as well as performing some of the work in-house. By investing in our infrastructure, we are also investing in our staff and our communities through skills development and creation of local jobs. More significantly, these investments will lead to long-term socioeconomic growth derived from a robust and secure water system for future generations to build on,” Mr. Mueller concluded.
Some of the benefits of an improved system include PFAS/PFOA contamination removal, minimized discolored water complaints, more ways to keep lead and other contaminants from leaching into the water and a way to isolate main breaks so that large areas are not affected. PVWC will keep its customers updated when the upgrades start and as the work progresses. Stay informed of PVWC-related activity by registering to our free notification system by visiting https://www.smart911.com/smart911/ref/reg.action?pa=pvwc.
Passaic Valley Water Commission, recipient of the 2023 Association of Metropolitan Water Agencies Gold Award for exceptional utility performance, serves over 800,000 consumers in Bergen, Essex, Hudson, Morris and Passaic counties.
