Iselin-based Middlesex Water Co. dedicated its new ozone treatment facility in Edison last week at a ceremony attended by local officials, project partners and employees.
MWC began construction of this facility in 2019 along with partners Northeast Remsco Construction as general contractor and Jacobs Engineering Group as consulting engineer. The project was completed and placed into service in 2021.
MWC has invested $70 million on this and various other upgrades at its existing largest water treatment plant to provide increased resiliency and to replace sodium hypochlorite with ozone as the primary disinfectant in the water treatment process.
The upgrade also will help ensure compliance with increasingly stringent drinking water quality regulations and mitigate the occurrence of harmful disinfection byproducts, which can form in parts of the distribution system more easily when chlorine is used as the primary disinfectant. Improvements in electric generation backup systems also were implemented to help ensure continued service in the event of power loss.
In his remarks, Dennis Doll, Middlesex Water chairman, CEO and president, stressed the company’s continued commitment to water quality and sustainability and that the new treatment process is an example of the need to invest in technologies that keep pace with changing regulations and emerging contaminants.
In her keynote address to guests, Commissioner Mary-Anna Holden of the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities discussed the plant’s key role in protecting public health now and for future generations.
The ozone treatment facility was dedicated to Middlesex Water Vice President of Enterprise Engineering G. Christian Andreasen who, over a 40-year career, has substantially led the company’s extensive capital program and other major engineering initiatives.
During the ceremony, Middlesex Water was also presented with a Risk Management Excellence Award from PMA Insurance Group honoring the company’s strong organizational commitment to employee safety over a number of years.