Veolia to build 2 wastewater plants

Veolia broke ground on two new wastewater treatment plants in West Milford on Wednesday, June 11.

The projects are expected to cost about $38 million.

Including that amount, Veolia is spending $74 million on water and sewer assets that it bought from West Milford in 2018.

The two new plants serve Bald Eagle Village and the Birch Hill neighborhood.

”More than the technology upgrade, this is really ecological change we’re driving here while protecting public health as well as the environmental quality of the community around here,” said Karine Rougé, chief executive of Veolia’s Municipal Water Division.

The new plants will use ZeeWeed membrane technology to remove contaminants - even those not currently regulated in the United States.

“We’re a global company and that comes with a lot of responsibilities,” Rougé said. “One of them is to ensure that we bring the best of what we do globally to the local communities we serve.”

Alan Weland, regional president, New Jersey Utility Operations at Veolia North America, said the plants “needed some care” when his company took them over.

“That’s not unusual. That’s very usual for communities. It’s hard for small communities to maintain sophisticated assets like a water and a sewer system.”

The plants in Bald Eagle Village and Birch Hill are the last two major upgrades of wastewater facilities that Veolia acquired in West Milford, he said.

”A lot of good projects. More to come,” he added.

Susan Rosenwinkel, director of the state Department of Environmental Protection Division of Water Quality, pointed out that sewage treatment is taken for granted today, although 100 years ago, dysentery and diarrhea were leading causes of death.

”We don’t think about that anymore because sanitation has come such a long way in the modern world. But there are many people that work very hard to make sure that happens and to make sure that we live in a safe environment,” she said.

New Jersey has about 200 wastewater treatment plants for domestic sewage. The largest plant treats 330 million gallons per day.

The Bald Eagle Village plant will treat 0.075 million per day and the Birch Hill one will treat 0.02 million.

“But that doesn’t diminish their importance to the local community and the service that they provide and even the impact on the environment,” she added.

Mayor Michele Dale said one of her first tasks when she became mayor in 2018 was the closing on the purchase of the plants.

“I can tell you that I’m pretty impressed actually after being in government for a while that it is actually only seven years later and we have the permits that we need in order to move forward.”

She said she looks forward to seeing the plants built.