Boro considers future of aging water plant Options include costly repairs, buying supply from outside vendor BY TOM CAIAZZA Staff Writer MATAWAN - As Matawan's water treatment plant prepares to close for the season, the Borough Council will weigh options regarding its future. According to Borough Engineer William White, the plant is in serious need of major maintenance that could cost the borough hundreds of thousands of dollars. The plant needs "a major overhaul of the filtration system," White said, and the maintenance required has not been done in nearly 30 years. "With the winter coming," White said, "now is the time." A decision by the council has been made all the more urgent by the preliminary negotiations the borough has been conducting with a new water provider that would provide year-round water coverage. At the present time, the water treatment plant only pumps during the summer months. The borough purchases the remaining water through New Jersey American Water, one of the state's largest water suppliers. White would not disclose the name of the water purveyor that could provide the year-round supply for fear of disrupting negotiations, but said that it was not New Jersey American Water. Switching to a full-time purveyor and eliminating the need for the borough owned treatment plant would most likely be cost-effective because it would stabilize water rates and keep the borough from having to renovate the plant, White said. "My guess is it would save the borough some money," White said. John Applegate, the plant's superintendent, said that the Matawan plant is limited by the state to the 199 million gallons of water it pumps per year, covering only May to September of every year when water consumption is at its peak. Applegate said that while the repairs needed to the plant are routine maintenance, they are by no means inexpensive and are very time consuming. "It's a very expensive process," Applegate said. "It's not something you can do in a week's time. So, Matawan has a limited amount of time to accomplish it, a decision has to be made now." The repairs, which include maintenance to the pumps, the tanks and rewinding of motors could cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. In comparison, he said, a new facility could cost $2 to $3 million. Applegate said he would recommend neither option. "If they can obtain an outside source, I would recommend getting the water from an outside source," Applegate said. At the Sept. 5 council meeting, Councilwoman Debra Buragina, the chair of the Water and Sewer Committee, said that nothing should be done either way regarding the plant until the borough has a clear plan for redevelopment. "Unless we start really focusing on if we are going to be doing a redevelopment project and bringing in new residents, you can't make a long-range plan on a water plant which is a major cost to the town," Buragina said. White responded at the meeting by saying that the water plant situation is time-sensitive, and deals that are here today may not be there when the borough decides on redevelopment. "The only reason I brought this forth now is because we have the possibility to be provided water year-round from a single purveyor, as opposed to spending millions of dollars on rehabbing the plant, which hasn't received maintenance in 30 years. I don't want to lose that opportunity." Buragina said that this issue has been up for consideration for a long time, at least as long as she has been a member of the council, and that the New Jersey American Water has wanted to provide year-round service in the past. White said this time is different. "It's an alternate purveyor, that's why," White said. "Once the opportunity is gone it will be gone for good."