Del Haven Water May Flow From Lower Twp. Utility

GREEN CREEK – Residents began to fill the Green Creek Fire Hall well in advance of the scheduled 6 p.m. meeting, waving to each other, saving seats for expected friends and forcing the men on duty at the station to twice get more chairs. 
The community meeting July 23 was called by Middle Township officials in order to explain the latest plan to bring potable water to Del Haven.
The quest to extend the public water system to Del Haven is years old. In 2015, New Jersey-American Water, the major supplier of water to the township, developed plans to run extensions to the water main system from Whitesboro to Del Haven. Construction costs, bond repayments and similar issues quickly led to projected costs for homeowners that proved too high for many residents.
An alternative concept to carry water from Wildwood Water Utility through Rio Grande and then beyond was also burdened by construction costs due to the need to extend the infrastructure over such a distance.
On July 23, residents heard a third option; one township officials believe is the most practical approach.
That plan calls for Del Haven to be supplied with potable water by the Lower Township Municipal Utility Authority (LTMUA). 
With its water mains passing the border of Del Haven, LTMUA seemed a natural source of water.
The proximity of its existing infrastructure in Villas meant that the construction costs facing LTMUA are considerably less than those projected by either of the other options.
One early issue was whether or not the state allotment of water to the LTMUA would be sufficient to meet the additional demand imposed by servicing Del Haven. Officials believe it would be.
The LTMUA Proposal
The LTMUA proposal projects a cost to the utility of $6,500 per home.
That is not a cost to the homeowner. It is the investment that the utility must make to complete the project.
Even then it is still an estimate as some issues of permits and similar requirements are still being considered.
In order to make the numbers work, residents at the meeting were informed that the connection is an all-or-nothing proposition.
Township Solicitor Frank Corrado explained that the township would have to pass a mandatory connection ordinance requiring that all homeowners in Del Haven, some 970 homes based on estimates, connect to the system in a specified period, probably six months to a year.
Earlier plans had projected yearly costs to homeowners for water in the range of $1,000, the LTMUA rate is $62.40 a quarter, or about $250 per year, for up to 10,000 gallons.
Potable water would be available to residents at costs comparable to owning a well.
The more difficult issue for many at the meeting was a $1,600 connection fee and the estimated contractor costs of $1,500 per home to do the necessary plumbing to make the connection to the main.
Those would be one-time costs, but under the mandatory connection ordinance, they are costs that would be faced by every property owner. Ways to help homeowners finance those upfront costs are still being explored.
Residents also heard that the project, if approved, would probably not see construction begin for as much as two years. Part of the reason for the projected delay is the extensive permit process.
Township Cites Advantages
This latest plan for bringing water to Del Haven has many advantages that township officials were quick to enumerate. 
Construction costs are lower given the proximity to the LTMUA infrastructure, thereby reducing the burden that might otherwise have to be placed on homeowner rates. 
Middle Township will require no bond issue since capital costs are handled under the plan by the LTMUA. 
Monthly costs to the homeowner would be the same as those currently charged to any LTMUA customer and are well below the projected rates contained in alternative proposals. 
Property values would probably also benefit from the installation of the water system.
In response to a question about how property owners could express support for the plan, Mayor Michael Clark suggested a letter to the township.
The meeting accomplished its goal of disseminating information about the new approach to the issue of water for Del Haven. 
The future of the plan may well depend upon how residents respond after they have had time to consider what they heard.
To contact Vince Conti, email vconti@cmcherald.com.