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• Ceremony celebrates completion & activation of $100M investment in Haworth Water Treatment Plant; Largest capital investment in United Water's 140-year history makes Haworth one of the most technologically advanced water treatment plants in the US
"This critical infrastructure project is not only the largest single capital investment ever made in the 140-year history of United Water, this project has served as a "stimulus project" long before the word "stimulus" became so popular in households across the United States," said Bob Iacullo, President, United Water New Jersey. "We officially broke ground on the Haworth Water Treatment Plant upgrade project in November 2007. Since that time this site has experienced an intense level of activity to complete this project done on-time and within budget."
"During the peak periods of construction, upwards of one hundred (100) skilled workers were onsite on a daily basis to deliver this project to our 800,000 customers in Bergen and Hudson counties," added Iacullo "I am pleased to report that because of this project, the Haworth Water Treatment Plant is now one of the most technologically advanced surface water treatment plants in the United States."
During the ceremony, Jim Glozzy, Vice President and General Manager of United Water New Jersey explained that the rehabilitation project satisfied three core objectives: regulatory compliance related to drinking water quality, regulatory compliance related to process waste discharge to the Oradell Reservoir, and operational constraints related to the age of the water treatment plant.
Major elements of the project include the following:
• New Ozone System - The existing ozone system, placed in service in the late 80s, was the first generation of this technology, while state of the art at the time, it is now past its prime. This new ozone system is needed to disinfect the water and to help remove unwanted tastes and odors in the water. The new system will be much more efficient, greatly reducing the amount of energy needed to operate.• Dissolved Air Flotation (DAF) -- This new and innovative technology, installed by United Water's sister company, Degremont, is a clarification process and is the main element of the Haworth Upgrade. In basic terms, DAF is a pretreatment stage prior to filtration, where it will remove over 90 percent of the particles and algae from the source water. The DAF technology at the Haworth Water Treatment Plant, which is the largest of its kind in the United States, allows for superior performance under very high particle and algae loading rates and removes a significant burden from the filtration process.
• Chlorine Contact Tanks -- Upon completion of the new ozone and DAF systems, new chlorine contact tanks have been installed to serve as a disinfection process to supplement the ozone system. This will be a great improvement over the existing process where chlorine is applied the water as it enters the filters. The new tanks allow for a large reduction in the amount of chlorine used without any reduction in disinfection performance, ultimately reducing any byproducts formed.
• Residuals Handling - New treatment processes have been added to handle the residuals generated from both the filter backwash operation and the new DAF operation. These improvements will allow for the elimination of a current permitted discharge to the Oradell Reservoir. The result is 100 percent efficiency in the use of water taken from the reservoir resulting in safe drinking water for our customers.
"For over 800,000 residents within the United Water New Jersey service territory, the future truly is crystal clear," added Iacullo. "We are very proud of this project and believe it clearly demonstrates United Water's commitment to improving water quality, serving our customers in Bergen and Hudson counties, and remaining ahead of regulatory requirements that govern Safe Drinking Water. We see this project as an investment in the future of Bergen and Hudson counties -- ensuring that the water necessary for growth and prosperity is available to those communities who need it."
United Water New Jersey provides water service to more than 800,000 residents in Bergen and Hudson counties in New Jersey. Its parent company, United Water, provides water and wastewater services to 7.3 million people in the United States. United Water is a subsidiary of SUEZ ENVIRONNEMENT.
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