A $1 million low-interest loan at 1% interest from the New Jersey Infrastructure Bank is saving the Brick Township Municipal Utilities Authority (BTMUA) an estimated $339,000 in financing costs for a critical infrastructure project at its raw water reservoir.
Funding for the project came from the Community Hazard Assistance Mitigation Program ("NJ CHAMP") within the I-Bank's New Jersey Resilience Bank, co-administered jointly by the New Jersey State Police Office of Emergency Management and the I-Bank. NJ CHAMP offers affordable financing for hazard mitigation and climate resiliency projects statewide.
NJ CHAMP financing supplemented federal and state grant funding that enabled BTMUA to fully fund the multi-million-dollar project. This initiative also is also providing a local economic boost, generating approximately 12 direct one-year construction jobs, supporting skilled trades and businesses in the area.
The BTMUA project strengthens the upper portion of the reservoir's interior slopes to prevent erosion when water levels fall below the existing rip rap protection. During low-water periods, unprotected soil can be exposed and gradually washed away. Left unaddressed, this erosion undermines the reservoir's structural stability, reduces storage capacity, and threatens embankment integrity. Sediment carried into the reservoir further limits its ability to hold water for treatment and distribution.
Recognized as the highest-priority capital project in BTMUA's 2019 Water Supply Master Plan, this initiative is essential to protecting long-term water supply integrity and ensuring system reliability.
This project is designed by longtime NJBIA member Colliers Engineering & Design, Inc.
According to the BTMUA, the project will be completed in about 10 months.
