The City of Hoboken’s new contract with SUEZ to invest at least $33 million in water infrastructure upgrades through 2034, which includes a new public water utility managed by the City, went into effect today. The contract calls for an average of $2.2 million in water investments per year, over six times the amount of the previous contract.
“Today is a historic day for the City of Hoboken,” said Mayor Ravi S. Bhalla. “We are finally able to make multi-million dollar investments into our aging water main system that have been badly needed for many years. Hoboken will now upgrade our most vulnerable water mains and focus on proactive upgrades, instead of just responding to water main breaks. We wouldn’t be in this position if it were not for the hard work from our City staff and negotiations with SUEZ, and I thank everyone who made today possible.”
“We are proud of the 25-year partnership we have with the City of Hoboken and look forward to working with the City to improve its water system during the next 15 years,” said Chris Riat, General Manager/Vice-President for SUEZ New Jersey Operations. “The Mayor, City Council and SUEZ are all focused on building a sustainable water system that will serve residents for generations to come.”
Revenue from bulk water consumption, starting today will be placed in the public water utility, with the majority of the revenue directly invested into water infrastructure upgrades. SUEZ will continue to maintain and operate the system. There will be no change for the process of customer service or bill payments for Hoboken ratepayers.
Of the $2.2 million in water investments per year, six times the previous contract, $1.5 million will be allocated for proactive upgrades and new water mains, compared to the previous contractual requirement of only $350,000 in repairs by SUEZ. The contract also includes $2 million in smart leak technology to monitor water consumption.
