Senators: $4M in Federal Funding To Restore Woodbine Water Systems

NEWARK – U.S. Sens. Robert Menendez and Cory Booker announced Feb. 22 that just over $4 million in federal funding, through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Rural Development program, would be made to rehabilitate water and wastewater systems in Woodbine.
“Important investments like this help us ensure that all New Jerseyans have reliable systems and access to safe, clean, drinking water, while also creating jobs to make the necessary upgrades and spur economic growth,” stated Menendez in a release. “I will continue fighting for vital resources to address our state’s public health and infrastructure needs to ensure the safety and wellbeing of families and businesses across New Jersey.”
“Each and every day, water infrastructure across New Jersey and our nation continues to crumble beneath our feet,” stated Booker. “Investing in New Jersey’s aging water and wastewater infrastructure is critical to the health and safety of our communities while helping spur job creation. That’s why I was pleased to work with Woodbine borough to help secure this federal funding that will strengthen local wastewater infrastructure, protect the health of our families and our environment, and help lay the foundation for future economic growth.”
Woodbine Mayor William Pikolycky expressed gratitude to Menendez in a letter. “This will allow our distressed community to begin the design and installation of critically-needed sanitary sewer collection facilities, ultimately serving the entire borough.”
Specifically, the USDA has awarded Woodbine a $2.5 million grant and $1.5 million in low-interest federal loans.
The borough plans to construct a sanitary sewer collection system to service its downtown area, the Woodbine Municipal Airport Business Park, and the areas along County Route 550.
The majority of Woodbine is serviced by onsite wastewater disposal systems (primarily cesspools) which have been in place for decades. The Airport Business Park also has an existing onsite wastewater treatment plant which was designed to utilize onsite groundwater disposal, but because of the lack of new development since its inception, this treatment facility has never operated.