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WELCOME TO THE CAMDEN NEWSDROP - SEPTEMBER 2023

Please enjoy the latest edition of the Camden NewsDrop, a quarterly recap of news and events from around One Water Street and Camden, NJ.

American Water Releases Sustainability Report

amwater sustainability report

American Water released its seventh biennial Sustainability Report highlighting the company’s industry leadership and performance on environmental, social and governance (ESG) principles. This report shares insights and strategies on American Water’s mission of sustainably providing safe, clean, reliable water and wastewater services. Click here to learn more.

Tied to the company’s commitment to ESG, American Water was recently recognized with a top score on Disability Equality Index® (DEI) for the fifth year in a row. With a score of 100, American Water received recognition for “Best Place to Work for Disability Inclusion”. Read more here.

 

American Water and the City of Camden Celebrate New Parkside Water Treatment Plant

In June, American Water Contract Services Group (“CSG”), in partnership with the City of Camden, held a ceremonial ribbon-cutting event unveiling the new Parkside Water Treatment plant.

“The Parkside Water Treatment Plant provides a critical service and benefits to the residents in Camden, and we are thrilled to unveil this new facility. Proactively upgrading our infrastructure allows us to continue the delivery of safe, reliable water service to our customers. This project represents a comprehensive investment and commitment to enhancing resiliency and keeping safety top of mind for our community.” -Victor Carstarphen, City of Camden Mayor.

Camden’s proactive water system upgrades began in 2020 and were divided into two phases: phase one focused on treating the Parkside well supply and phase two focused on the Morris-Delair well supply. Phase one highlights include:

  • Commissioned the operation of the new Granular Activated Carbon treatment at the Parkside Water Treatment Plant
  • Effectively removing PFAS and other compounds from groundwater since January 2022
  • Modified to easily accommodate additional treatment equipment to address 1,4-Dioxane when that compound becomes regulated

This system improvement project will continue to provide safe, clean and reliable water service to the Camden community.

Click here to learn more.

amwater csg parkside treatment plant

 

“Fill it Up” – New Bottle Filling Station for Camden Schools

amwater tap water logo

The American Water Charitable Foundation and New Jersey American Water announced a $30,000 donation to fund reusable bottle-filling stations in cafeterias throughout the Camden City School District, as part of an effort to improve students’ access to water for drinking and reduce the use of bottled water in Camden, including bottled water.

The funding will be used for the leasing, installation and ongoing professional maintenance of kitchen filtration systems and cafeteria bottle-filling stations to replace old drinking water fountains in 18 schools across the district. The initiative is part of New Jersey American Water’s participation in Campbell Full Futures: A school nutrition partnership designed to promote enhanced nutrition initiatives and investment opportunities in the Camden City School District.

Click here to learn more about this investment helping to keep students and staff hydrated.

Want to learn more about why tap water is a better choice than bottled water? Click here to see the face-off between tap water vs. bottled water. Attach PDF

 

A Splash into Water Education! – Project WET Workshop for Camden Educators

American Water and New Jersey American Water recently partnered to facilitate Project WET (Water Education Today) 2.0 and Climate, Water and Resilience Workshops at its Camden headquarters. Project WET workshops provide traditional and non-traditional educators (grades K-12) with an informative six-hour day of hands-on water education training. Workshops equip teachers with the necessary tools, resources, and lesson plans to help teach students about the importance and value of water in everyday life.

Organizations that participated included Camden Pride Charter School, Afterschool All-Stars Watershed Program and Leap Academy. Click here to read more.

American Water project wet

 

A Slam Dunk Weekend at the Camden Peace Games!

Camden Community Partnership, together with the City of Camden and Providing Alternative Resources for Kids (PARK), hosted the 2023 Camden Peace Games. This two-day co-ed basketball tournament was created to promote peace, community, and camaraderie through youth sporting activities.

American Water and New Jersey American Water volunteers were excited to join both days to help keep water flowing and the Camden community hydrated. Congratulations to all the teams who played in this year’s tournament.

Camden Peace Games Collage

 

New Jersey American Water’s NRTC Funding to Support New Homes in Camden!

Parkside

In July, Parkside Business & Community In Partnership (PBCIP) hosted a walk-through of four new homes currently under construction on Empire Avenue. These four homes are a part of a larger project that includes 9 new homes and 1 renovated home, that will be available for purchase by first-time homebuyers later this year.

These homes were made possible funding from the Neighborhood Revitalization Tax Credit Program (NRTC) under NJ’s Department of Community Affairs. A large portion of that funding came from New Jersey American Water’s NRTC grant of $950,000 in 2021. This program supports the construction and rehabilitation of this great effort for Camden's future homeowners. Click here to watch a short news clip from the event.

New Jersey American Water also recently announced its investment in the 2023 Neighborhood Revitalization Tax Credit (NRTC) grants, which awarded $950,000 to three Camden-based non-profit organizations: PBCIP, Heart of Camden, and St. Joseph’s Carpenter Society. The funding will support nearly 30 community initiatives across the City of Camden, continuing New Jersey American Water’s commitment to supporting opportunities that benefit the residents of the communities it proudly serves. Click here to learn more insert NJAW release