August 21, 2006

 

The Applied Water Management Group of American Water announced the initiation of New Jersey’s first residential application of Reclaimed Water for Beneficial Reuse. The system activation ceremony will take place at Homestead of Mansfield, an Active Adult Community in Mansfield, N.J., on Friday, August 25 at 10:00 a.m.

A community of adults 55 and older, Homestead at Mansfield contains 1,200 residences. Located on a 295-acre site, the community is surrounded by sprawling grounds. “The Reclaimed Water for Beneficial Reuse project will provide reclaimed water to the lawns and common areas of the Homestead community, thereby preserving a portion of New Jersey’s valuable water supply,” said Mark Strauss, president of the Applied Water Management Group.

American Water’s Applied Water Management Group acquired the community’s existing wastewater facility in 1999, and for the next six years conducted a series of upgrades developed in conjunction with the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection and aided by a grant from the New Jersey 1981 Water Supply State Bond Fund. The upgrades made to the wastewater treatment system will enable the delivery of high-quality water that will be used to maintain the residential grounds of Homestead at Mansfield and help achieve multiple state goals related to Smart Growth.

The August 25 event will officially engage the reuse system, with anticipated attendance by Homeowner Association Representatives, local and state politicians and representatives from American Water’s Applied Water Management Group. “We are proud to be ushering in a new age of water conservation,” Strauss said.

While this is the first residential application of reclaimed water in New Jersey, it’s not the first reuse system developed and initiated by American Water’s Applied Water Management Group. The Hugh L. Carey Battery Park City Authority (BPCA) tapped American Water to develop the wastewater treatment system in the Solaire, America’s first “green,” high-rise apartment building, which began operation in January 2004. Featuring 293 units, the building is the first of its kind to receive a LEED Gold Certification from the U.S. Green Building Council.

One of the Solaire’s most significant green components is a wastewater system installed in the building’s basement, which recycles and treats the building’s sewage for reuse, such as toilet flushing, HVAC cooling and subsurface irrigation of an adjacent park. The wastewater system is also intended to supply reclaimed water to an adjacent apartment building, and for use, with further treatment, for subsurface irrigation in adjacent Teardrop Park.

The Applied Water Management Group has also introduced water reclamation plants to golf courses as a solution to meet the significant demands for water to maintain the grounds. One example is the system at the Hawk Pointe Golf Club in Washington, N.J. The reclaimed water is expected to serve as the primary source for maintaining the common grounds of the course, as well as the nearly 200 residential homes.

“Reclaimed water has been treated to a high quality and has long-term implications on water supply,” said Edmund DeVeaux, vice president of business development for Applied Water Management. “Treating and reusing water that would otherwise be wasted helps conserve one of the earth’s most precious natural resources.”