Construction is set to begin on a $50 million project to expand sewage service in undeveloped sections of eastern Camden County, including portions of the Pinelands, laying the groundwork for 10,000 new homes.
The county plan - paid for with a low-interest loan from a state environmental fund - comes as the region wrestles with tight municipal budgets caused by the real estate slowdown and shrinking property values.
"That part of Camden County that has remained stagnant because of water and sewer issues," said Camden County Freeholder Jeff Nash. "Hopefully, the economy is going to substantially turn around in the next few years, so this is the best time to rebuild the infrastructure."
The 25 miles of new sewage lines will enable residential and commercial construction in Winslow Township, Berlin Township, Berlin Borough, Pine Hill, Waterford Township, and Chesilhurst. Much of the region was at its building limit because of the limited capacity of the existing sewage system and proximity of the Pinelands conservation area and the underlying Kirkwood-Cohansey aquifer.
The amount of water pumped from the aquifer almost doubled between 1991 and 2010, due largely to increased development on the Jersey Shore, spurring fears that the water level would eventually drop too low to support wildlife in the area.
http://www.philly.com/philly/news/n...d_sewage_service_could_spur_construction.html
The county plan - paid for with a low-interest loan from a state environmental fund - comes as the region wrestles with tight municipal budgets caused by the real estate slowdown and shrinking property values.
"That part of Camden County that has remained stagnant because of water and sewer issues," said Camden County Freeholder Jeff Nash. "Hopefully, the economy is going to substantially turn around in the next few years, so this is the best time to rebuild the infrastructure."
The 25 miles of new sewage lines will enable residential and commercial construction in Winslow Township, Berlin Township, Berlin Borough, Pine Hill, Waterford Township, and Chesilhurst. Much of the region was at its building limit because of the limited capacity of the existing sewage system and proximity of the Pinelands conservation area and the underlying Kirkwood-Cohansey aquifer.
The amount of water pumped from the aquifer almost doubled between 1991 and 2010, due largely to increased development on the Jersey Shore, spurring fears that the water level would eventually drop too low to support wildlife in the area.
http://www.philly.com/philly/news/n...d_sewage_service_could_spur_construction.html