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city-of-camden-and-american-water-to-make-improvements-to-treatment-facilities-to-continue-to-supply-water-that-meets-all-standards

City of Camden and American Water to Make Improvements to Treatment Facilities to Continue to Supply Water That Meets All Standards

CAMDEN, NJ – April 14, 2021 – The City of Camden and American Water jointly announced today the start of an important improvement project to continue to provide clean, safe and reliable water to residents.

“Continuing to provide drinking water that meets all state and federal requirements for safety and quality is a priority for our city, and this investment project will help ensure that for current and future residents and businesses,” said Frank Moran, Mayor of Camden.

The City of Camden’s water system, operated and maintained by American Water Contract Services Group, meets or surpasses drinking water standards under the Safe Drinking Water Act. NJDEP recently mandated new state regulations, ahead of federal regulations, for water quality standards for a group of compounds known as PFAS. In advance of these NJ DEP regulations, the City and American Water have been working together for over two years on an operational plan that will improve the City’s ability to provide safe, clean drinking water to the Camden community, as well as provide adequate quantity and pressure for essential services in the City.

To maintain water quality compliance with these new regulations, the City significantly reduced the use of its Parkside wells and has removed a number of wells in the Morris and Delair wellfield from service. In February, the City entered into a 10-year bulk water agreement with New Jersey American Water to supplement its water system while the City installs improvements to these facilities.

In addition to addressing PFAS, the improvement plan will also address the removal of 1,4-dioxane, as the NJDEP is expected to begin the process of setting state regulations for this emerging compound sometime this year.

The complete improvement plan is divided into two phases. The first phase is underway with pilot testing, design engineering and permitting for upgrades to the Parkside treatment plant. Construction on new treatment facilities, a new building, and other improvements will begin late Summer 2021. To minimize disruption to residents and businesses, the building will be situated on Vesper Blvd. The project will take approximately six to eight months to achieve operational completion, and the building containing the improvements should be completed by the end of 2022, and will include additional parking spots for public use.

The second phase will address PFAS and 1,4-dioxane treatment for the Morris and Delair wellfields at the former Puchack plant site, which is no longer in service, and 1,4-dioxane for the Parkside treatment plant. This work will begin in late 2022 and is projected to take approximately two years to complete.

The City of Camden and American Water are working with the Camden Collaborative Initiative to develop a plan to engage with Parkside area businesses, community groups and other stakeholders to establish proactive and open communications about these improvement projects.

American Water Contract Services has been the contract operator for Camden’s water and wastewater system since 2016. To learn more about American Water’s ongoing partnership with the Camden community, visit amwater.com/camden.


Media Contacts

Alicia Barbieri

Manager, Corporate Communications

856-676-8103

Alicia.Barbieri@amwater.com

Vincent Basara

Director of Communications

(856) 757-7200

vibasara@ci.camden.nj.us