The formal transition of the responsibilities for our area’s water infrastructure to New Jersey American Water Company (NJAW) occurred on June 30th, following the approval of the Board of Public Utilities. You should have received a welcome package from NJAW in the mail with your new account information and instructions on how to view information online or set up automatic payments. That information can also be found on NJAW’s welcome website here.
Information on Water Billing
The final combined water/sewer bill from the Borough has also just been mailed out and is due on August 10. Payments can be made in person at Borough Hall, by mail or on the Borough website. Going forward, you will still receive a quarterly sewer bill from the Borough and a separate water bill directly from NJAW. Questions on future sewer bills should continue to be directed to the Borough, but questions about water bills or service should be directed to NJAW. Their contact information for billing, service, or emergencies can be found here.
Information on Upcoming Capital Projects and Infrastructure Work in the Borough
As part of its commitment to upgrading the water infrastructure in the Borough, NJAW will next begin a major capital program to replace the water main on West Broad Street and address lead and galvanized water service lines to homes in that area. Letters to impacted residents/businesses are expected to be delivered early the week of July 20, which will be quickly followed by test pit work to determine which properties require service line replacements. There will be no direct expense to any homeowner or business for the replacement of these service lines.
The project to replace the water main in West Broad Street is anticipated to take approximately four weeks and is designed to be completed before the start of school, with limited service interruptions on a house-by-house basis when each building is reconnected. NJAW will communicate directly with each impacted owner as those dates approach. When the project is completed, the work will need approximately 90 days to physically settle before the road will receive a much-needed full repaving. NJAW, the Borough’s engineers and Hopewell Valley Emergency Services have been working to ensure interruptions to traffic and access to homes are as limited as possible, and construction is planned on a block-by-block staged basis to keep roads open or partially open when feasible. NJAW and the Hopewell Township Police Department will orchestrate the traffic control plan and the Borough will provide regular updates as the project progresses. Residents will be kept informed through door-to-door letters, website postings, and CodeRED reverse-911 notifications, with the on-site inspector serving as the primary point of contact. We continue to encourage everyone to sign up for Hopewell Valley OEM alerts (CodeRED) here and for alerts from NJAW here.
Information about the transition will continue to be updated on the Borough website at:
https://www.hopewellboro-nj.us/water
