Princeton Moves Forward With Mini-System 36 Sewer Rehabilitation Project

PRINCETON, NJ — Princeton is advancing plans to rehabilitate its Mini-System #36 sanitary sewer infrastructure, which serves a residential area bounded by John Street to the west, Ewing Street to the east, Mount Lucas Road to the north, and Quarry Street to the south.

The project, currently in the design phase, aims to address costly inefficiencies in the municipality's wastewater treatment system.

The primary objective of the rehabilitation effort is to make the sanitary sewer system watertight. Princeton currently faces the financial burden of treating significantly more wastewater than its residents and businesses actually generate.

By preventing clean groundwater from seeping into the sewer system, the municipality expects to achieve substantial savings in wastewater treatment costs.

Beyond the immediate financial benefits, the rehabilitation work will extend the lifespan of existing infrastructure, delaying the need for more extensive and disruptive replacement projects that would impact private property.

The project will address both public sewer mains and private lateral pipes serving individual properties within the designated area. The work will primarily utilize chemical grouting, an advanced trenchless technology that eliminates the need for excavation. This non-toxic chemical grout will be injected into joints and cracks of sanitary sewer pipes, effectively sealing points where groundwater currently infiltrates the system.

National Water Main Cleaning Company has been awarded all three contracts for the rehabilitation project. Construction is scheduled to begin in phases, with Contract A starting Monday, Oct. 20, Contract B commencing Nov. 10, and Contract C beginning Dec. 8.

Princeton will host a preconstruction community meeting on Tuesday, at 7:00 p.m. via Zoom. The meeting will provide residents with detailed information about the project schedule, communication protocols, scope of work, and the technologies that will be employed. Preregistration is required at https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_7nVE3YoeS6ybwIjagxkVhA.