Suez Water Hearing Cancelled In Edison After Petition Filed

EDISON, NJ — A meeting to discuss a proposed water system take over by Suez was cancelled after a petition for Edison to take control was submitted.

A public hearing, held by the Edison Township Council, originally scheduled for Thursday, was effectively cancelled after it was postponed with no make-up date.

"In light of a recent petition filed with the town clerk, the council believes it is necessary for the clerk to review the petition and present it to Council, if appropriate, before further hearings continue," a spokesperson for the town said.

The petition filed on Monday by community activities calls for Edison to retain public control over its water and sewer systems; if Edison does not move to retain control, the petition could trigger a ballot question this fall asking residents to vote on water and sewer control.

Nearly 5,000 residents signed the petition.

Announced in February, the proposed partnership with Suez was almost immediately unpopular amongst Edison activists. The 40-year, $811 million partnership would lease all the sewer and part of the drinking water system to Suez and KKR, a private equity firm.

Currently, Edison manages its own wastewater, and water is contracted out to American Water Co. At the time the proposal was announced, Edison Mayor Tom Lankey said the Suez partnership would take the burden off of the township to care for the aging system.

Concerns center around rate hikes, the privatization of the system, and worsening service.

"We urge the township council to delay its decision on the Suez concession deal until we, the voters, have had a chance to decide the future of our water and sewer systems at the ballot," said Keith Hahn, one of the driving forces behind the petition. "It would be irresponsible for the township to invest more resources into pursuing a deal that could be invalidated at special election. It’s our water, our vote."

In April, the town council voted 5-2 to not put the proposal up for a non-binding public vote. That proved to be an unpopular move: Michael Lombardi and Leonard Sendelsky, two current council members who voted against the public vote, lost local party support and then Tuesday's primary. They were defeated by a slate that included Joseph Coyle and Ajay Patil, the only two council members in support of the non-binding public vote.