New Jersey American Water completed its acquisition of the wastewater collection system of the Borough of Manville, N.J. for $6.5 million. This municipally owned system serves approximately 4,300 customers, most of whom already receive water service from New Jersey American Water. On September 24, 2024, the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities approved the municipal consent allowing New Jersey American Water to provide wastewater service to Manville customers as of the closing of the transaction.
“Having served Manville for many years as its water provider, we are honored and proud to now extend our wastewater services to residents,” said Mark McDonough, president of New Jersey American Water. “We are committed to making the necessary improvements to Manville’s wastewater system and look forward to continuing to support our customers with the same level of excellence we have provided to them for the past two decades.”
The agreement to purchase the system was approved in a voter referendum in November 2023, which passed in a landslide fashion with 83 percent of the voters approving the sale of the system to New Jersey American Water. As part of the agreement, New Jersey American Water committed to invest a minimum of $10 million in wastewater system improvements over the next ten years.
“Selling the wastewater system to New Jersey American Water was the right decision for our community,” said Manville Mayor Richard Onderko. “The sale will allow us to pay off municipal debt, stabilize property taxes, and secure long-term, affordable rates for our residents. Most importantly, New Jersey American Water has the resources needed to invest in critical infrastructure improvements that will benefit Manville for years to come.”
Residents will receive additional information in the mail from New Jersey American Water within the next week, and information is also available on a dedicated webpage, Manville Wastewater, on the company’s website at www.newjerseyamwater.com, under Customer Service and Billing.
This is New Jersey American Water’s seventh acquisition in the last five years, adding more than 18,600 new water and/or wastewater customers. The company completed the acquisition of Salem City’s 1,500 customer water and wastewater system in June 2024, as well as four wastewater system acquisitions within the company’s footprint - the Somerville wastewater system with 3,800 customers in 2023; the Bound Brook wastewater system with 2,800 customers in 2022; the Long Hill Township wastewater system with 2,900 customers in 2020, and the Mount Ephraim wastewater system with 1,800 customers in 2019. Additionally, New Jersey American Water completed the acquisition of Egg Harbor City’s water and wastewater system in June 2023 via the state’s Water Infrastructure Protection Act, adding more than 1,500 water and wastewater customers.
