Generator fails at Ridgewood water treatment plant during outage
Thursday January 9, 2014, 4:40 PM
BY DARIUS AMOS
STAFF WRITER
The Ridgewood News
Ridgewood escaped a worst-case scenario after the water treatment facility’s emergency generator failed during a New Year’s Eve power outage, but the village must now shoulder the cost to repair the non-functioning system parts.
Top public works and engineer officials have not determined a definitive cost for the repairs but they are hopeful that a $15,000 budget will cover the bill. The Village Council will consider a resolution approving that budget next Wednesday.
According to Chris Rutishauser, municipal engineer and head of the Ridgewood public works department, an electrician had been on the site soon after the outage occurred and at press time was still working.
“Part of the outage caused significant upset in our electrical systems, that’s why we need an electrician to go through everything to make sure it runs,” said Rutishauser. “The plant is still not at 100 percent.”
If this were a private corporation and a critical facility was not able to function because some asshole manager forgot to periodically check the standby generator, that manager’s ass would be grass. But this is Ridgewood, and in Ridgewood taxpayers just keep kicking in more and more money each month to pay to correct stupid mistakes made by management and management keeps getting their annual bonuses. The nerve of Mr. Rutishauser to blame NJDEP for his failure to make sure the generator was checked on a regular basis. And what a bunch of buffoons on the Village Council; they just keep approving additional funds to cover incompetent management decisions. Is there a plan now Mr. Rutishauser or will you not try to start the generator again until the next time commercial power goes out? And by the way, what happened to the Emergency Services trailer mounted generator that was supposed to be stored at Water Pollution Control? Why didn’t someone step outside and try using that one?
Our Village engineer should be fired! The problems we’ve had with the water department alone has cost the taxpayers of Ridgewood tens of thousands of dollars in fines. Then he rubber stamps projects like Valley Hospital and multi-family housing projects saying they will not put undue strain on our system. This guy clearly hates the residents of Ridgewood. He’s probably one of those anonymous posters that calls us all “spoiled brats”.
all you engineers are some how fucked up in some way. you all think you know it all. it looks good on paper so it works. we don’t need an engineer dept. what a joke. if you guys are so smart what the hell you doing working for the village. you can make more on the out side.
what a fuck up.
Management is a joke! When will the council open their eyes and see the incompetence of these morons.
whats so dam said is this is the boss of the dirt bag who stole about 500 grand from the village . he and others had did not know a thing. open your eyes.
now this. how is this jerk still have a job.
boy o boy if I was him I would walk in to my work with a paper bag on my head.
look the places stinks. how is that place safe to work in.