HOPEWELL: Aging water pipes to be replaced with Environmental Infrastructure Trust funds

By Andrew Martins, Managing Editor
A trio of bills recently signed by Gov. Chris Christie are paving the way more than $400 million in clean water projects, including replacement of aging water pipes in Pennington Borough.
The bills, signed into law on Thurs., Aug. 18, allow the state Environmental Infrastructure Trust to make loans for environmental infrastructure projects, appropriates funds to the Department of Environmental Protection for environmental infrastructure projects and changes submission and notice requirements for short-term and long-term financing for environmental infrastructure projects.
More than 80 projects, totaling more than $440 million will be funded throughout the state as a result of the bills.
Included in those now funded projects are those in the “Storm Sandy and State Fiscal Year 2017 Clean Water Project Priority List” and the “Storm Sandy and State Fiscal Year 2017 Drinking Water Project Priority List.” Six clean water and two drinking water environmental infrastructure projects will also be funded as a result of the bills.
According to New Jersey Environmental Infrastructure Trust Executive Director David Zimmer, approximately $1.2 million of the approved funding will be used for the project in Pennington.
Mr. Zimmer said the project will replace and upgrade existing water distribution mains along Upper King George Road and Park Avenue, between that intersection and Eglantine Avenue.
The mains, which have been part of the state’s environmental infrastructure funding plan since 2014, are reaching the end of their expected usefulness, according to Mr. Zimmer.