NORTH BERGEN – Mayor and state Sen. Nick Sacco (D-North Bergen) opened a pipeline to Jersey City today, one that pumps waste water on to the Passaic Valley Sewerage Commission.
Sacco said his town could have bonded for $100 million to modernizing their own treatment plant on West Side Ave, but he found an alternative plan to save $50 million of those costs: Reroute the water to Jersey City, then to PVSC’s facilities in Newark, and out into the ocean.
Previously, the treated waste water ended up in the Hackensack River.
“Now we don’t have to deal with any DEP regulations (on site),” said North Bergen MUA Executive Frank Pestana.
“The easy thing to do would have been to build a new water treatment (plant),” said North Bergen Administrator Chris Pianese.
Sacco gave Healy a compliment: “Many years ago we worked out a similar arrangement (with former Jersey City leaders). They came in with elaborate fees and roadblocks.”
Jersey City Mayor Jerremiah Healy said taxpayers will see a $300,000 annual savings for allowing the pass through of 7 to 8 million gallons of daily waste water.
Carl Czaplicki, a Republican former chief of staff to Healy and a commissioner on the PVSC board, lauded the project as the embodiment of shared service savings that so many towns are after.
Wayne Forrest, PVSC executive director, also called it a win.
Pressed by PolitickerNJ after the announcement, Forrest declined comment on subpoenas that reportedly came down in his commission last month.
“Nice try,” he said, swiftly heading toward his ride.
