Allendale is seeking operator for its water system
Thursday, August 30, 2012
BY JAMES M. O’NEILL
STAFF WRITER
The Record
ALLENDALE — Faced with rising costs to meet state drinking-water standards and upgrade its old pipes, the borough plans to contract out the operation of its municipal water system to a larger company.
The move reflects a growing trend nationally, as cash-strapped local governments look to save money by hiring large water companies that have the economies of scale to run their water systems and bring down costs.
“Regulations are becoming very stringent, and it’s difficult for a small water department like ours to keep up with all the testing and other requirements. It’s getting more and more costly,” Mayor Vince Barra said Wednesday.
After Congress passed the Safe Drinking Water Act in 1974, the initial regulations covered no more than a handful of pages. Today, they cover some 300 — not including the manuals issued to help interpret those rules, said Howard J. Woods Jr., a private water-industry consultant. Technology to identify contaminants in water has leapfrogged since the mid-1970s.
“The business of operating a water system continues to grow more complex,” said Woods. “Small water systems are really going to be challenged to keep up, and that costs a lot of money and requires a lot of expertise.”
https://www.northjersey.com/news/167951635_Town_seeking_operator_for_water_system.html
Seems like something Ridgewood should consider doing also, so long as we can retain ownership of the infrastructure.