MUA, Gov’t & Partners Dedicate Wastewater Reuse Project

CREST HAVEN — Cape May County Municipal Utilities Authority (MUA) Executive Director Charles Norkis held up a jug of clear water Sept. 30 to show a crowd of representatives and partners the clarity of recycled wastewater that will be sent to numerous county sites for reuse, instead of being pumped into the ocean.
Federal, state and local leaders gathered at the Seven-Mile Beach/Middle Wastewater Treatment Facility to hold a dedication ceremony for the new wastewater reuse system, which will enable the reuse of 300,000 gallons per day of highly treated effluent.
Norkis noted that the project will conserve county groundwater by getting twice the use.
Senior Operator Tim Fisher provided a tour of the system that cleans the sewage water. He explained that the system uses sand filters, similar to a swimming pool, in which water and debris percolate through various layers to rid the sewage of solids. It is sent through rotating biological contactors (RBCs) to further reduce the amount of solids. Water is then cleaned of nitrates, nitrites and ammonia through a natural process.
“There’s a lot done to the water before we send it out to the public,” Fisher explained.
The MUA cleans the water to the usual filter standard needed to discharge back into the ocean but then takes it two steps further to disinfect it, including an ultraviolet disinfection system to rid it of any living organisms, then it is chlorinated.
Before water is brought to the storage tank, which can hold 300,000 gallons of clean reusable water, mechanical sensors test it and if readouts don’t meet specifications, it is sent back to the treatment plant to go through the process again.
Recycled wastewater will be used to wash animal cages at the Cape May County Park and Zoo and for irrigation at the Middle Township Davies Recreation Complex athletic fields, the Goshen Road Sports Complex, Veterans Cemetery, Cape May County Technical High School and eventually Atlantic Cape Community College, in project phases.
“This project is very significant for water supply management statewide,” said Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Commissioner Mark Mauriello.
He said there may be an inaccurate public perception in which some think the water is unsafe. He said it’s an unwarranted stigma because the wastewater goes through a high level of treatment before it is reused.
“You should be very proud of this. I’ll be bragging about this all over the state,” Mauriello said.
“Environment—air, soil and water—is an important asset to Cape May County taxpayers and visitors,” Freeholder Director Daniel Beyel said.
Norkis said the DEP helped the project get past financial barriers with grants.
Middle Township Mayor F. Nathan Doughty said part of the agreement is that the MUA will provide reused wastewater to the township for free.
“Some might not think the water is safe but we’re going to make them believers,” he said.
Assemblyman Nelson Albano, chairman of Assembly Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee, committed to ensuring state funds for the project.
Atlantic Cape Community College (ACCC) is a partner in the project, as some irrigation pipes will go across the local campus to reach the Goshen Road Sports Complex.
ACCC Dean of facilities, planning and research Dr. Richard Perniciaro said the college was thrilled to be apart of the project and has put together a green campus initiative including Leader in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification for its existing building at Cape May County campus.
Norkis said the reused wastewater could be used for firefighting capability.
“It’s an expensive proposition to recycle water,” Norkis said noting that the DEP came up with more than half of the project cost of $4.5 million.
“Three hundred thousand gallons a day is a significant amount not being pumped out into the ocean and not being taken from a well,” MUA Chairman George Betts said.
He noted the “Easter purple” hydrants now visible around the Crest Haven Complex.
Betts said finished product is actually potable, but will not be used for drinking.
The county was responsible for design and installation of pipes under the Garden State Parkway and elsewhere needed for the reuse project and the MUA has addressed the treatment of wastewater.
Norkis recognized many project partners and advocates including the Cape May County Board of Chosen Freeholders, Sen. Jeff Van Drew (D-1st), Assemblymen Nelson Albano and Matthew Milam, County Engineer Dale Foster, the contractor Applied Water Management Group.
He thanked the DEP and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Office of Rural Development.
Contact Truluck at (609) 886-8600 ext. 24 or at: ltruluck@cmcherald.com.