Photo by Boyd Loving
Ridgewood Water seeking additional water source
Friday July 6, 2012, 2:13 PM
BY LAURA HERZOG
STAFF WRITER
The Ridgewood News
The next project for Ridgewood Water, which is currently appealing a $38,000 fine levied against it by the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), is to find a source of additional water, according to the utility’s director, Frank Moritz.
This project would begin sometime before next year, he said, but despite having “some choices,” Ridgewood Water does not yet know where the new source outside of Ridgewood will be located. The utility, which services Ridgewood, Wyckoff, Midland Park and Glen Rock, is attempting to prevent a water tank running out of water with usage increases in all four municipalities.
“That’s a major concern for us,” Moritz said. “Heaven forbid there was a fire, you wouldn’t have enough water to fight the fire.”
The search for another source comes at a time when Ridgewood Water is appealing what Moritz believes to be its first fine for exceeding its water allotment. The DEP levied the fine on March 12 because the utility exceeded its annual allotment for one of its permits by about 60 million gallons in 2010, said DEP spokesperson Bob Considine.
Rather than asking for an increase in its water allotment, Ridgewood Water appealed the $38,000 fine because the utility interprets its monthly water allocation differently than the state, Moritz said.
https://www.northjersey.com/news/161589405_Ridgewood_Water_seeking_additional_water_source.html