May 11, 2005—Rahway, N.J.— The Rahway Valley Sewerage Authority (RVSA) recently held a groundbreaking ceremony at its Central-New Jersey wastewater treatment facility, to commemorate the beginning of plant upgrades and recognize those who are helping to make the improvements possible. The ceremony took place on Thursday, April 28, during New Jersey’s 17th Annual Environmental Education Week.

The RVSA, which has been serving Central-New Jersey municipalities for more than 75 years, provides an essential service by treating wastewater and returning clean, safe water to the environment. The plant upgrade and expansion project is one of the first water improvement projects in New Jersey to eliminate sewer overflows. Overflows are untreated discharge points that are necessary to relieve street flooding and water back-up into basements within the tributary municipalities, due to limited trunk sewer and wet weather treatment plant capacities.

“New Jersey’s growing population and ever more strict environmental regulations have increased the demand for wastewater treatment services in recent years. The upgrades will allow us to continue providing this valuable service and to be at the forefront of environmental improvements,” commented James J. Murphy, vice chairman of the RVSA Board of Commissioners, at the groundbreaking ceremony.

Officials from the New Jersey Environmental Infrastructure Trust (NJEIT) and the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) were in attendance.  To help defray the cost of the plant upgrades, the RVSA is working with the NJEIT, who has provided approximately $150 million of long-term financing at a reduced interest rate.  The RVSA is planning to obtain an additional $85 million of long-term financing in 2005, a portion of which is planned to be obtained under the NJEIT loan program.

“We are dedicated to enhancing our environment by supporting infrastructure improvement projects in New Jersey,” said Robert Briant, Sr., chairman of the NJEIT. “We applaud RVSA’s commitment to maintaining a clean and safe environment for its member municipalities and their citizens.”

Commissioner Bradley Campbell, NJDEP, remarked, “Our partnership with the NJEIT strengthens our commitment to a clean and healthy environment. We need tougher environmental standards and enforcement, but we also need resources.  We are proud to assist the RVSA to better protect the environment.”

At the ceremony, the RVSA Board of Commissioners were on hand to thank and recognize the vendors and partners involved in the plant upgrades: NJEIT, for providing funding at a reduced interest rate; E.E. Cruz Construction Co., general contractor for on-site construction; Northeast Remsco Construction, general contractor for the off-site construction of a Gravity Relief Sewer; J.H. Reid Construction Co., general contractor for the Cogeneration facility; Consolidated Construction Management Services (CCMS), for providing construction management and oversight on the plant upgrade; and the Comprehensive Strategic Plan Design team, including Paulus, Sokolowski & Sartor (PS&S), Camp Dresser & McKee (CDM), and Metcalf & Eddy (M&E). 

“We’re lucky to have the support of the NJEIT and to have some of the best, most highly skilled contractors in the state working on the plant upgrades,” said Mr. Murphy. “We look forward to successfully completing this initiative and continuing to lead the way in protecting our environment.”

About the New Jersey Environmental Infrastructure Trust

The mission of the New Jersey Environmental Infrastructure Trust is to assist the people of New Jersey in achieving a cleaner and healthier environment by providing low-cost financing for the construction of environmental infrastructure projects; these projects enhance and protect ground and surface water resources, ensure the safety of drinking water supplies, and make possible responsible and sustainable economic development. For more information, please visit the NJEIT Web site at http://www.njeit.org/.

About the Rahway Valley Sewerage Authority

The RVSA is an autonomous agency that owns and operates a trunk sewer system and a wastewater treatment facility in Rahway, N.J. Throughout its history, the RVSA has been at the forefront of actions that improve the environment. The RVSA was one of the first treatment plants to construct a sludge-dewatering facility, and the RVSA was among the first treatment facilities to "get out of the ocean" ahead of schedule.

The RVSA currently serves Member Municipalities of Clark, Cranford, Garwood,Kenilworth, Mountainside, Rahway, Roselle Park, Scotch Plains, Springfield, Westfield, and Woodbridge and User Municipalities of Winfield Park, portions of Fanwood and Linden. For more information, please visit the RVSA Web site at www.rahwayvalleysa.com.