New Egypt, NJ: January 22, 2010. Planning for the revitalization of New Egypt’s Main Street/Business District and to eliminate long standing environmental degradation to Oakford Lake and the Crosswicks Creek associated with individual septic systems and cesspools, took another step forward at the end of 2009 with promising results from a groundwater discharge investigative study commissioned by the Plumsted Municipal Utilities Authority (PMUA). The results of the Lakewood Property groundwater investigation indicate the potential to recharge up to 840,000 gallons per day of treated wastewater. The investigation was undertaken by Van Cleef Engineering and Eastern GeoSciences, Inc. in the fall under contract to the PMUA. The sites investigated are remotely located to the west of the closed municipal landfill near Route 539, referred to as the “Lakewood Properties.”

At the end of 2009, the Township Committee also awarded two bids for the construction of a 24 space municipal parking lot now under construction on Main Street near Church Street and continued improvements to Volunteer Park on Evergreen Road. These improvements are part of other improvements planned to revitalize New Egypt’s Main Street/Business District, to make it a more attractive location for mixed use development including restaurants and expanded retail businesses. Under current conditions with no public sewer, new or expanded retail operations are not possible.

The PMUA approved the Lakewood Properties site investigation after an exhaustive review of options to dispose of the treated wastewater generated from the proposed New Egypt Redevelopment project conducted over the past five years. The options explored, with critical input and concurrence from the Ocean County Planning Department and New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, included an inter basin transfer of the treated wastewater from the Delaware Watershed to the Atlantic Watershed to existing sewage treatment plants operated by the Ocean County Municipal Utilities Authority; disposal of the treated wastewater to the Crosswicks Creek (surface water discharge); the creation of a new regional wastewater treatment authority with North Hanover and New Hanover; sending the waste to the existing sewage treatment plants at either Wrightstown or Fort Dix and groundwater disposal within Plumsted Township. After fully considering each option, it was determined the only immediate and viable solution to Plumsted’s dilemma, was recharge of the treated wastewater by groundwater discharge.

The selection of the Lakewood site was made after consideration of a number of sites within the Township as well as disappointing results from investigations at two other potential groundwater discharge sites. The criteria used in the selection process included sites of at least fifty (50) contiguous acres within the Delaware Basin watershed, well drained soils, absence of threatened and endangered species, absence of freshwater wetlands, land not included in farmland preservation and proximity to New Egypt.

 From this review, seven (7) sites were identified for evaluation. Two (2) of the properties were excluded as they failed the resulting hydro-geologic testing. Two (2) sites were excluded as they were subsequently placed in the Farmland Preservation program or purchased with deed restrictions preventing their use for groundwater disposal. Two (2) sites were excluded as it was determined existing environmental issues or poor soil types would reduce the amount of land area available below the fifty acre minimum parcel size and/or not be capable of recharging the needed amount of treated wastewater discharge. The Lakewood Property site was found to meet all of the above criteria which the preliminary site investigation has initially confirmed. Additional testing is required to confirm the preliminary study, for permitting and design and construction purposes. Two methods for groundwater disposal will be evaluated. These are drip irrigation and infiltration ponds. Drip irrigation is a more passive system as it does not require as much site clearing as does an infiltration pond system.

The PMUA plans to conduct the expanded testing in early 2010. If all goes well, the PMUA will submit permit applications to the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection by the end of 2010. The site for the treatment plant itself is proposed to be located in the downtown, although other sites are being investigated as well.

To partially fund the Main Street/Business District Redevelopment project and to expand the downtown customer base, a 336 unit active adult retirement housing project off of Province Line Road is being planned. In 2007, the Township selected The Kokes Organization of Whiting, NJ, as the developer for the senior housing portion of the Redevelopment Project. A mixture of 1 and 2 bedroom single family homes are planned on the 150 acre site. The project will preserve the existing wetlands on the site and wooded area associated with the Crosswicks Creek Ravine. The Redevelopment Project will also be supported by a Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILOT) program and financial contributions from New Jersey American Water and The Kokes Organization. No increase in the number of school age children will result from the active adult retirement community housing project.

The New Egypt Redevelopment Project is a joint project of Plumsted Township and the PMUA under an Interim Redevelopment Agreement entered into last year between the two entities. According to Mayor Dancer, the New Egypt Redevelopment Project was conceived in 2002 to provide the means to revitalize New Egypt’s downtown and return it as the anchor of the community it used to be. Currently, economic growth in the downtown is hampered by the lack of public sewer as well as the poor economy.

The New Egypt Redevelopment Project envisions the addition and expansion of public parking, designated bike lanes, wider sidewalks, way finding signage, new street lamps, underground utilities and pedestrian linkages both within and to the outside of the downtown. The abandoned Jersey Central Power and Light companies right of way will provide a perfect opportunity to connect locations within the downtown, including the school complex, and to existing and planned greenways in adjacent Burlington and Monmouth counties. The New Egypt Redevelopment Project also includes the expansion of public water service with the drilling of new wells. Currently, Plumsted Township is at maximum capacity for what it is able to by state permit to withdraw from the underlying water aquifers. In some cases, the improvements, such as Volunteer Park and the construction of a new 24 space municipal parking lot will be completed this spring.

To minimize cost and interruption of services to the downtown businesses and residents, it is expected other improvements such as wider sidewalks and street lamps will be completed simultaneously with the construction of the public sewer. The current timetable to start construction of the public sewer system is in mid to late 2011. The first phase of the sewer project to be financed will include Main Street as well as areas around Oakford Lake. These two areas have the most critical need for sewer.

Mike McCue, chairman of the Plumsted Municipal Utilities Authority, commented, “I am pleased to see all this work coming together and looking forward to the actual construction of improvements beginning. A lot of effort and thought has gone in to the planning of this project. I’m convinced the New Egypt Redevelopment Project will not only serve to revitalize our Main Street District but will have a positive environmental and economic impact on the Township and businesses downtown.”