CAPE MAY – A new round of Small Cities grants from the state includes $400,000 for Cape May. The grant will allow the city to improve its potable water capacity, so that the loss of a single well during peak tourist season will no longer endanger the city’s water supply.
Mark Blauer, a Cape May grant consultant, explained to Cape May City Council July 6 that the city can meet its peak water demands, even at summer’s busiest periods. Blauer added that the city was vulnerable at these points if it suddenly loses the use of one of its wells. The city would not have what Blauer termed “sufficient firm capacity” to meet demand if a well went down for any period.
The state Department of Community Affairs grant will cover most of the estimated $585,000 cost of constructing a water main from Well No. 8, thereby providing the added capacity in the event of a well failure.
The council took the formal action necessary to insert the grant funds into its 2021 budget. The project is likely to take two years to complete, with the first year for design and the second for construction.
