Invested in Camden
Proud to be part of the community
MORE THAN A CENTURY OF SERVICE
American Water has a long standing partnership with the City of Camden that dates back to the 19th century and continues to this day through New Jersey American Water and American Water Contract Operations.
New Jersey American Water has owned the water system serving the Cramer Hill section of Camden since the 1800s when it was Stockton Water Company. This represents about a third of the city.
The remaining two-thirds of the city’s water system and nearly all of the city’s wastewater system is operated and managed by Contract Operations through a contract with the City of Camden that began on February 1, 2016. Contract Operations maintains and operates the potable water supply, treatment and distribution systems, as well as the wastewater and stormwater collection and conveyance systems.
BUILDING STRONGER COMMUNITIES
Since 2012, American Water, New Jersey American Water and the American Water Charitable Foundation, together have invested more than $8.8 million in community projects and programs in the City of Camden. These projects included: Community Revitalization Initiatives
- Neighborhood Revitalization Tax Credits – In 2020, $950,000 in NRTC funding went to Parkside Business and Community in Partnership (PBCIP) of Camden. The funding will be used for projects aimed at improving housing and economic development opportunities in Camden’s Parkside neighborhood.
- American Water donated $250,000 to LUCY Outreach in support of their new state-of-the-art 10,000 square-foot youth center. This capital campaign will substantially expand LUCY Outreach’s capacity to positively impact Camden’s youth.
In-Kind Donations: American Water and New Jersey American Water provide thousands of dollars in in-kind donations, such as computers, lab equipment, tough books and furniture.
Environmental Grant Program: Camden’s Promise Charter School was awarded $8,900 for development of a native plants’ greenhouse grown in hydroponics and soil. The experience will provide students a great learning experience focused on rain gardens, impacts of runoff and the comparisons between hydroponics and soil gardens.
AmerICANS in Action: Our Employees invest their time volunteering to support local organization that resonate with them. This past year, our employees continue their efforts through virtual engagement opportunities. American Water’s employees provided career-focused discussions, facilitated conversations around emotionalintelligence highlighting coping strategies and mentored students in ways to improve and enhance their written communications skills. These opportunities benefited:
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- Rutgers School of Business - Camden
- Women of the Dream
- Mighty Writers Camden
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PARTNERING WITH CITY ORGANIZATIONS
American Water and New Jersey American Water work closely with a number of organizations including:
- Camden County Municipal Utilities Authority
- Camden Community Partnership
- Camden Water Equity Taskforce
- Camden Collaborative Initiative
Through these partnerships, we contribute manpower and dollars towards the various organizations’ initiatives including but not limited to cleanups, tree plantings, and flood mitigation projects.
INVESTING IN OUR YOUTH
When job openings become available in the region, we’re making an effort to expand our search for candidates to Camden residents.
REPLACING AGING WATER MAINS
In the past six years alone, New Jersey American Water invested more than $5.9 million in the water distribution system in the City of Camden. This included replacing approximately Seven miles (37,810 feet) of water mains that were 75 to 125 years old. These projects consisted of replacing 4- and 6-inch unlined cast iron mains with new 8- and 12-inch cement lined ductile iron mains and served to improve system flows, pressures, reliability, and water quality. In addition to replacing water mains, service lines and fire hydrants were also replaced.
METER REPLACEMENTS
In the past five years, 4,350 meters were replaced with state of the art Radio Frequency (RF) meters. The conversion to RF meters essentially eliminates the need to estimate meter readings, providing customers with actual reads of water usage around which to base their decisions regarding water use. Plus, the readings can be completed without ever needing to gain access to the customer’s property. In the next three years, New Jersey American Water is scheduled to replace another 3,379 meters in the City of Camden with RF meters.
OPERATIONS AND MAINTENANCE
Fire Hydrants: All 390 fire hydrants in the Cramer Hill and East Camden sections of Camden are inspected annually per regulatory requirements. In addition, 100 percent of hydrants and valves in New Jersey American Water service area are identified via GPS.
Valve Inspection and Replacement: One of the leading causes of discolored water and inadequate fire flow is broken valves in a distribution system. New Jersey American Water conducts a rigorous annual valve inspection and exercise program. All 1,413 distribution valves are inspected on a regular basis in an effort to decrease discolored water and low pressure complaints.
Leak Detection: Even the smallest leak in a water system can cause the loss of thousands of gallons of water each month. New Jersey American Water is committed fully to finding and fixing leaks, both in our customers’ homes and throughout our system. In the past five years, 37 water main leaks were identified and repaired within the New Jersey American Water’s Camden service area.
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