DEP approves use of effluent during drought
Towns will be able to use water for sewer jetting, street sweeping

MONMOUTH BEACH — The Two Rivers Water Reclamation Authority has been given permission by the state to make its treated effluent available to member and customer towns and to Monmouth County for reuse for sewer jetting, street sweeping and watering trees and flowers.

In a letter to the TRWRA authorizing the reuse, the state Department of Environmental Protection said the permission will stand as long as the water emergency brought about by the drought is in effect. The DEP said landscaping uses must be confined to limited public access areas.

Michael A. Gianforte, executive director of the sewer authority, said in reporting on the DEP’s action at the authority’s meeting Tuesday that the agency has specified that each town in which the county wants to use the effluent must also submit a request for the water to be used there.

Gianforte said he has gone back to the DEP on the issue of use for sewer jetting. He explained the DEP limited the jetting to sanitary sewers only, but Monmouth County wants to use the water for jetting storm sewers. So he’s asked for permission to give the effluent to the county for storm sewer jetting.

TRWRA effluent normally is discharged into the ocean a half-mile offshore.

Elwood L. Baxter, chairman of the TRWRA, said with the water conditions the northeast is suffering through, the treated water is going to be needed.

"I have always envisioned the authority moving toward the beneficial reuse of its effluent because we take an unpleasant byproduct of human life and convert it to a quality effluent," he said. "I am pleased to see our hard work now may help to ease impacts of this drought emergency."

The only municipality the sewer authority has had a formal request from for its effluent is Sea Bright, but several mayors of other towns were talking about their municipalities possibly applying for it , at the meeting of the Two Rivers Council of Mayors April 12 in Little Silver.

"We want to do it if we can do it — legally," Baxter said at the authority meeting, noting it will await word now from its lawyer, William J. O’Hagan Jr., who did not attend the meeting, and the authority’s insurance company on liability.

The issue of erecting a cell phone tower was put to rest.

Ward V. Coles Jr., one of the Oceanport members on the authority board, had asked Gianforte last month to look into the possibility of putting up a cell tower to bring in revenue to meet a need to fill a "dead spot" in Sea Bright.

Gianforte reported to the authority he initially found no interest, then on April 12 got a call from Mike Schmidt, a consultant in the industry who he said was not the retired baseball player, expressing some possible interest.

However, Gianforte said, he learned the range for digital equipment would be only half a mile, whereas Coles said the area in need in Sea Bright is 4 miles away. He said he wasn’t willing to spend any money to research it.

Coles then said "drop it," and when a show of hands among members asked for by Baxter showed the board split 5-5 on the question of whether to further investigate a cell tower, Baxter said, "Forget about it" because a tie is a loss.

The board also dropped the idea of putting term limits on the service of the chairman and vice chairman. The idea of putting a limit of two years on the time a member could serve as chairman or vice chairman was put forth at the last authority meeting and then referred to committee for further study. Carmine T. Perrapato, head of the legal committee, said O’Hagan had advised the members that term limits could be imposed on them only through legislative action. "So the committee decided to put this aside," he said.

The authority was advised of a major snag in the construction going on for expansion of the sewer plant by James L. Brandes, of Camp Dresser & McKee Inc., its consulting engineer. He reported a delay in work will occur because of a problem with conduits and GPU/JCP&L providing electricity.

At Gianforte’s suggestion, the authority passed a resolution for him to negotiate a change order on a time extension and cost related to the work.

The negotiations will pertain to a $1,000 per day per building penalty for failure to complete each of two buildings — the main pumping station and the generating station — by the specified May 1 date.

Brandes said GPU may be able to deliver the electric power next Friday. Gianforte said the power had been expected to be connected in late March and this would cause a 22 to 25 working-day delay in finishing the buildings.

Gianforte said this delay will have no effect on the final completion of the expansion work, scheduled for August 2003.

In other action, the authority approved the purchase of a new truck for $15,948 from Tom’s Ford, Keyport, to replace one totaled in an accident.

Gianforte said the accident was the fault of the other driver who ran a red light and where, fortunately, no one was injured. He said the authority will receive $10,800 from the insurance company to pay for the vehicle.

Gianforte also corrected the minutes from last month’s meeting to report that William R. Baarck had voted against the pay raise for plant manager Mel Martens. Martens’ salary was raised $9,000 to $69,419.