$3.9M Needed To Fully Renovate Middle Brook Sewer Pump Station In Bridgewater

BRIDGEWATER, NJ — More than 50 years after being built, Bridgewater's aging sewer pump station is in need of major renovations and the price tage comes in at just about $4 million.

At the July 24 Council meeting, Director of Municipal Services/Sewer Utility Thomas Genova gave a presentation on the history, current status, a renovation plans for the Middle Brook Pump Station.

The Middle Brook Pump Station was built in 1969 with no significant improvements made since 1995.

The station handles about 40 percent of the Township's sewage flow, which is on average 1.75 million gallons a day.

To put it in perspective, Genova said during the 4-inch rain storm the Township experienced on July 14, the flow was 3.75 million gallons a day.

The collection system takes wastewater from Bridgewater, the southern portion of Warren, and the northern portion of Branchburg.

"Speaking to the condition, it's definitely showing its age. The pump seals are leaking on all three pumps. Motor bearings are grinding. The suction and discharge valves are unable to close to isolate the pumps for repairs. The primary controls and drives are obsolete. The pump station requires a complete renovation," said Genova.

In 2023, the Township underwent Phase 1 of the improvement project by installing a bypass connection on the force main. This also includes a bypass manhole on the gravity influent line to facilitate bypass pumping for Phase 2 work.

Phase 2 includes:

• Full renovation of station infrastructure
• Replacement of pumps, piping, and valves
• New motor control center and pump control panels
• Site work for safety and accessibility
• Emergency generator replacement

The budget for Phase 2 is $3.529 million for the construction, $400,000 for construction management and design services, and $25,000 for bond counsel. In total, the project comes to $3,954,200.

John Draikiwicz, who serves as the Township's Bond Counsel, said that the project could be funded through the New Jersey Water Bank. It is a financing mechanism for significant sewer projects.

Using this financing mechanism allows the township to get a rate of 4 or 4.5 percent on 50 percent of the bond and the other 50 percent would have a 0 percent interest rate.

Additionally, Draikiwicz said a portion of the loan could also be forgiven by the State in the future.

"If you work through this program it's an effective financing tool, and you’re only paying as you go, unlike when you do a regular note and borrow the full amount," said Draikiwicz.

Councilman Timothy Ring asked what portion Warren or Branchburg would contribute to this project.

"As the council knows, we have been working very hard to get our partners to pay their fair share," said Genova.

In November 2024, Bridgewater filed a lawsuit against Warren Township over its sewage usage. That lawsuit is still pending.

"Recovering costs of things like this would be something hopefully gets resolved as part of bringing them to the table and them paying their fair share of what’s been done," said Mayor Matthew Moench.

"What I am wrestling with in my mind is, yes, it's a project that needs to be don,e but on the flipside, if we have these outstanding issues with our partners we're trying to work on. Does it financially behoove us to try to resolve those issues before embarking on a $4 million project?" asked Ring.

Moench noted that he has been slower to engage in the larger-scale sewer projects but "I think here we are at a point now where one - it's critical."

Moench added that resolving the lawsuit could be done quickly or they could be in court for years.

"And I can tell you if this thing fails because we took too long to work on it, we are going to have rooms full," said Moench.

"People will expect to be able to flush their toilets, and that is very ,very important," said Council President Howard Norgalis.

Councilman Michael Kirsh reminded the public that they knew this project was coming and that is the reason for the sewer rate increase in May 2024.

"This is not a surprise. This has been very well planned, and so this is no surprise. We’ve been talking about this for years, and this is the consequence of an aging system that must be maintained," said Kirsh.

The Council is planning to introduce the bond ordinance for the Phase 2 project at its Thursday, Aug. 7 meeting.

A final hearing and adoption of the bond ordinance is planned for Aug. 21. A resolution authorizing the award of a contract for construction management and a resolution authorizing the award of a contract for design services during construction are planned for Sept. 18.

A timeline expects the project to be awarded at the Dec. 4 council meeting, with completion expected in 2026.

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