From the Southeast Morris County Municipal Utilities Authority
$3.2 Million Water Supply Improvement Project Greater Morristown Area
By Laura Cummings, PE, SMCMUA Executive Director
The Southeast Morris County Municipal Utilities Authority (SMCMUA) has initiated a $3.2 million Water Supply Improvement Project for the replacement of about 8,100 linear feet, or 1.53 miles, of unlined, cast-iron water main, replacement of 30 fire hydrants and installation of 40 new water meters and meter pits.
This project will improve the reliability and resiliency of the system, including fire protection, water loss due to leakage, and water quality. The main renewal contract was awarded to Reivax Contracting, with the project duration expected to be about one year.
The water main replacement projects are in the Town of Morristown and Morris Township.
In Morristown, 6,600 linear feet (1.25 miles) of water main will be replaced in the business district and 600 linear feet (0.11 miles) in a residential area. Nine hundred linear feet (0.17 miles) of water main already has been replaced in Morris Township as part of this project.
Video: Improving Morristown’s water system for the next 140 years.
Each section of water main replaced includes installing new concrete-lined ductile-iron pipe, fire hydrants, valves, sample stations, water meters and meter pits. An additional 30 existing fire hydrants located throughout the service area will be replaced and 40 water meters and meter pits will be installed in a portion of the system in Florham Park.
The 6,600 linear feet (1.25 miles) of water main replacement in the Morristown business district represents the most significant investment for the project, including the replacement of some of the oldest unlined, cast-iron main, circa 1890s, in the service area.
The new main will be installed between Washington Street at Conklin Avenue, along West Park Place to South Street at James Street. The 1890s unlined, cast-iron main will be replaced in a series of 13 segments, beginning with Segment 1 at Washington Street and Conklin and ending at Segment 13 at South and James streets.
An additional 250 feet of water main on George Street and 350 feet on Rowe Street also will be replaced in Morristown. The Morristown project will start on Jan. 11, 2021, with the residential section on George and Rowe Streets followed by Segment 1 in the business district starting on or about Jan. 15th.
Due to the extensive coordination required for the main renewal in the Morristown business district, SMCMUA has developed a Project Hub webpage on its website at www.smcmua.org.
The Project Hub webpage will be fully functional by Jan. 25, 2021. In the interim, it contains basic project information. The Project Hub will serve as a community resource to maintain up-to-date information on the project, including a description, schedule and work locations. The Project Hub also includes an interactive interface for community members to easily assess whether they will be impacted.
SMCMUA encourages all community members to register for water alerts to ensure they receive time-sensitive information about this project, along with other import water alerts.
Register at www.smcmua.org by choosing the “Register for Citizen Alerts” icon. Account holders also can update their contact information by choosing the “Update Account Information” icon.
For additional information, please contact SMCMUA’s Customer Service Division at 973-326-6880, or by email.
