Aqua New Jersey, Inc. (Aqua) received the Business & Industry Award from the Water Resources Association of the Delaware River at its 26th annual Recognition Dinner held April 20 in Philadelphia.
Aqua received the award for the installation of advanced ultraviolet (UV) water treatment in New Jersey.
The state-of-the-art UV treatment facility, located in Lopatcong Township, uses UV light treatment to enhance water quality for approximately 10,600 residents in Phillipsburg, Lopatcong, Pohatcong and Greenwich townships. Aqua was the first utility to use UV in this particular type of application and on this scale.
Aqua New Jersey President William Davis accepted the award on behalf of the company. “We are extremely proud to have been selected [for] this prestigious award from such an important organization in our industry and our region,” Davis said. “These treatment facilities demonstrate how creative thinking coupled with technology can lead to cost-efficient solutions that serve public health and protect the environment.”
If Aqua had proceeded to build a traditional filtration plant, the cost could have been as much as $12 million. Davis said the company was able to employ the more affordable solution thanks to the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection’s acceptance of the company’s proposed solution.
The UV treatment facility has a capacity of 10.5 million gal per day. Inside the plant, untreated water is disinfected with chlorine and then flows through a chamber where UV lights saturate the water. This “one-two punch” provides two distinct disinfection mechanisms, which effectively eliminate microorganisms from what is already a very clean water source from wells along the Delaware River.
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