CAPE MAY – At its meeting, July 18, Cape May City Council received an update on the status of its project to modernize its aging desalination plant.  

The update was provided by CME Engineering and Triad Associates. CME is the firm the city selected to work on the preliminary design and Triad specializes in finding grant funding for such projects.  

Mayor Zack Mullock has said repeatedly that the plans for a new desalination plant will be scaled up or down depending on the degree of outside funding the project can attract. 

Council heard that the project team has had positive input and reaction from state officials. An imminent meeting with the New Jersey Infrastructure Bank (I-Bank) should provide an indication of how much grant money the project will likely get from the bank and how much funding might be available in the form of a low-interest loan. 

The problems with the existing plant include the building being too small to accommodate any growth in capacity, as well as being so crowded as to force electrical equipment into too close a proximity to other equipment. 

Capacity growth is essential since the current plant fails to meet state regulations on firm capacity, and the problem promises to grow as the Coast Guard Base plans for an expansion.  

Cape May supplies fresh water to Cape May Point, West Cape May, and the Coast Guard Base, in addition to itself. 

The ability to remove iron from the water is also a need the current plant cannot address. While the iron levels are below state thresholds today, iron removal is a technology the designers see as important for the future. 

The problems also revolve around a need to modernize the osmosis-based equipment so that it can perform both more effectively and efficiently, especially with respect to electricity use.  

The current plant runs at approximately 68% capacity with expectations that with new equipment, this will rise to 75%, a good level for a water treatment facility, the consultants said. 

The council heard that the preliminary design should be completed by the end of the year. With that design completed and the funding picture more clearly delineated, Mullock said the council would be able to vote on options for the actual development of a new plant.