Lower Seeking More Water From Cape May

CAPE MAY — Like a poor parched soul walking through the desert, Lower Township came to Cape May City Council with one request, “water.”
Clifford Gall, executive director of Lower Township Municipal Utilities Authority (MUA) appeared at Cape May City Council’s Aug. 7 meeting along with its attorney Jeff Barnes.
City Manager Luciano V. Corea Jr. told council that Lower MUA is asking that Cape May transfer an allocation of water it was given by the county in 1992 from the county airport. He said the county had an allocation of water it could not use, so it earmarked it for Lower and Cape May.
Corea said the additional water allotment would allow Lower Township to move forward with additional development.
“The fact the water is located at the airport would make it very difficult for the city to make use of it in that we don’t have any transmission lines to get the water from here to there,” he said.
Cape May Water Superintendent David Carrick said giving up the water allocation was a “great deal” for Lower Township and the city needed to get something in return.
He said Cape May would need more water in the future. The airport allocation for the city is 700,000 gallons per day.
The state Department of Environmental Protection will not allow any further expansion for Lower MUA unless Cape May releases its hold on the airport water allocation, said Gall.
Deputy Mayor Niels Favre said he was uncomfortable that Lower Township Council was not involved in asking Cape May for the airport water allotment.
In 1988, Cape May spent $1 million to build a pipeline along Seashore Road connecting the Cape May Water Department to Lower Township MUA pipes, said Carrick. He said the pipeline is not used because Cape May does not need additional water at this time.
Carrick said the city could turn the line over to Lower Township so it could connect homes located near the line, all south of the Cape May Canal. He said Cape May was supplying water to 10 homes in Cape May Gables at Cape Avenue, which is actually located in Lower Township.
Carrick said there was the potential for Lower MUA to connect about 35 new customers.
When Cape May has had the need to drill new wells, it has always moved in a northerly direction. Carrick said if the city needs to increase the size of its desalination plant, which supplies Cape May’s water from brackish water, it would need to look to the north or west, which would be Lower Township.
He said in the past, when Cape May approached Lower Township officials seeking an area to drill a well it was told, “That’s our water.” He said potential well locations would be south of the canal.
Gall said Lower Township needed water to deal with saltwater intrusion, not for development issues. He said MUA would have to spend $500,000 to improve the interconnect pipeline to serve homes in Cape May Gables.
Gall said Lower Township Council has never passed an ordinance requiring mandatory water connection when pipes are brought to a neighborhood.
DEP requested the MUA reduce pumping from well number one at the country airport, said Gall. He said DEP would require any new wells to be placed along the railroad tracks, on the “spine” of the county.
Carrick said in 23 years, only once did the city have a water emergency due to a well pump motor wearing out. He said Cape May purchased water from Lower MUA from 1988 to 1995, using the water to recharge well number four.
Mayor Jerome E. Inderwies suggested a meeting be set up with Barnes, Carrick, City Solicitor Tony Monzo and Corea to negotiate an agreement.