Transcript The East Orange Water Commission presented by Mayor Lester E. Taylor III and EOWC President Michele Antley City of East Orange 44 City Hall Plaza, East.

The East Orange
Water Commission
presented by
Mayor Lester E. Taylor III and
EOWC President Michele Antley
City of East Orange
44 City Hall Plaza, East Orange, NJ 07018
tel (973) 266-5151
[email protected]
www.eastorange-nj.gov
Overview of the EOWC
• Created in 1909
• Of 565 municipalities in New Jersey, East Orange is one
of only three (3) municipalities to own and operate a
water entity
• Services the City of East Orange, Village of South Orange
and properties in Millburn (approximately 88,000
customers)
• Currently pumps up to 7 million gallons per day, but
could pump up to 11.2 at full capacity
• East Orange Water Reserve covers 2,400 acres with 18
(mostly artesian) wells
Years of Neglect
• Upon being sworn in on January 1, 2014,
Mayor Taylor was presented with a EOWC
that suffered from:
 Aging infrastructure
 Fiscal and technical mismanagement
 Misreporting of contaminant levels
 Increasing water rates
 Loss of customers
 Damaged reputation due to ethical and criminal
misconduct by former EOWC employees
Significant Financial Loss
• Lack of routine maintenance over more than
a decade necessitated $10-$20M in
infrastructural improvements
• Inferior customer service and poor fiscal
management resulted in $3M deficit
• (CY2014) Operating budget approx. $20M
First Steps
• Removed prior Board and installed new Board of
Commissioners
• Administration is working cooperatively with
Board to preserve, protect and enhance East
Orange’s water supply
• Successful negotiations with NJDEP, South Orange
Village, and Newark Water Department to reduce
fines, improve customer service and reduce
dependency on outside provider.
Next Steps
• Market entity to get new subscribers
• Create jobs for residents
• Additional revenue for municipal budget
• Access to STEM education and experiential
opportunities for students
EOWC Governance
• Michele Antley appointed by Mayor and elected
by Co-Commissioners as President
• Understanding role and responsibilities of
Commissioners, i.e. governance vs. day-to-day
management
• Operate asset in accordance with modern 21st
Century practices
• Implement policy
Current Projects
• Working on increasing the volume and
quality of the water by approving two
contracts:
 Well Rehabilitation Project Phase II
 Installation of an Airstripper Device
• Air stripping is a very reliable way to remove
volatile organic compounds from drinking
water.
Air Stripper Device
VOCContaminated
Water
Air + VOC
Contaminants
Packing
Media
Forced Air from
Blower
Treated
Water
Air Stripper Facility Rendering
Management and Best Practices
• After completing fair, open and competitive
procurement process, contract was awarded to
Veolia Water North America, one of the world’s
leading water suppliers
• In first 60 days, we’ve already realized hundreds of
thousands of dollars of cost savings and/or efficiencies
to minimize cost and maximize productivity
• Training existing staff to expedite EOWC self-sufficiency