The City of Newark has completed combined sewer overflow (CSO) improvements financed with approximately $4.1 million in loans from the NJ Water Bank, a low-rate funding program administered by the DEP and the New Jersey Infrastructure Bank (I-Bank).
Because this project addressed CSO issues and met affordability criteria, it qualified for 100% principal forgiveness. As a result, the city is expected to save the full cost of the project compared to financing it independently. Additionally, the project is estimated to have generated 49 direct one-year construction jobs.
The Peddie Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) site is a wastewater and stormwater management facility located at the Peddie Ditch, near Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey. The city constructed the facility to keep solids and floatable debris from combined sewer overflow events out of local waterways, including the Passaic River, to protect water quality and prevent flooding.
The project involved the planning, design, and construction of a floatables-control netting facility at the CSO site to replace a floating pontoon structure originally installed as part of a U.S. EPA demonstration project. This necessary upgrade to keep solids and floatable debris from bypassing the Peddie CSO offers easier maintenance and a longer service life.
“This investment at the Peddie CSO site is a critical step toward protecting our local waterways and ensuring the reliability of our infrastructure,” said Newark Mayor Ras Baraka. “We’re not only preventing harmful debris from entering our rivers, but also creating a system that’s built to last.
“I’d like to recognize our Department of Water and Sewer Utilities for identifying the potential for savings and capitalizing on it,” Baraka said. “I thank the NJDEP, and the I-Bank for their partnership and support in helping us deliver lasting value to our community.”
This project required construction of a 40-foot-wide by 23-foot-long concrete apron with approximately 13-foot-high concrete wing walls on each side supported on pile foundation. The concrete apron supports a new 8-bag netting system, associated stainless steel tubing, and stainless-steel bar screens.
This project was designed by in-house staff at the Newark Department of Water and Sewer Utilities, and Arcadis US Inc. and constructed by Coppola Services, Inc of Ringwood.
Photo Caption: The Peddie Ditch facility after a routine net change. – Image courtesy of Newark Department of Water & Sewer Utilities.
