The expansion of the water treatment plant has been the result of increase in peak demand for water due to rapid population growth in the region
Image: NJ American Water inaugurates expanded water treatment plant. Photo: Courtesy of Ivan Bandura/Unsplash.
New Jersey American Water has completed an expansion project at its Oak Glen water treatment plant in Howell, New Jersey.
The expansion is expected to ensure stability of its water supply and flexibility to support growth in the Monmouth and Ocean County region.
Oak Glen water treatment plant was originally constructed back in 2003 and remains till today as one of the most critical water supply assets to the region’s people and economy. The plant is part of American Water’s Coastal North water system, serving a population of about 335,000 across the Monmouth and Ocean Counties.
It is located on an 11.6 acre piece of land, along a river-to-reservoir pipeline, with two primary sources of water supply including the Manasquan River and Manasquan Reservoir.
In recent years, peak demands increased at the plant, mainly because of rapid growth of population in the region. In 2014, the population growth prompted the company to consider alternatives to meet the growing demand of water in the region.
After evaluating the current and future potential needs, the company proposed a solution to expand the Oak Glen water treatment plant.
The expansion will increase the maximum capacity of plant to 17.5 million gallons per day
In 2016, the expansion project at the water treatment plant began. The various enhancements and upgrades were to meet the peak demands and increase in regional demand for potable water. With the present upgrades, the maximum capacity of the plant increased from 10 million gallons per day (GPD) to 17.5 million GPD.
New Jersey American Water president and American Water eastern division senior vice president Cheryl Norton said: “Today we come together to celebrate the completion of a critical infrastructure project for the people of Monmouth and Ocean counties.
“This project would not have been possible without the strategic vision of our leadership team, countless hours of planning and the many professionals who were dedicated to making this project a reality.”
The upgrades at the plant include installing additional water treatment equipment, installation of additional pump in the distributive pump station, installing third backwash clarifier, adding a new standby electric power generator to replace the existing unit, offering emergency power for the entire facility.