Freeholder Curley: New Jersey American Water Should Pay Customers' Costs Incurred by Water Main Break

Freeholder Director John P. Curley says he believes New Jersey American Water (NJAW) should reimburse its customers who were affected by the earlier this summer in Tinton Falls.

“I asked the state Board of Public Utilities (BPU) to mandate that a rebate be given back to those residents directly affected by this water shutdown,” Curley said in a release. “They need to give money back to the public for the period of time that water and water service was not provided.”

Curley successfully urged the BPU to investigate the June 29 water main break.

“It’s not just customers who had to buy water in towns that were under a boil water advisory, it’s also people who lost flower and vegetable gardens and other plantings due to the fact that all outside water use was banned,” Curley said in the release. “It’s now time for the water company to pay the public back.”

The water company continues to restrict outdoor water usage as a result.

The collapse of a wooden footbridge and three large pipes resulted in boil water advisories for 22 Monmouth County towns immediately after the break. Towns were taken off the advisory over the next couple of days as water pressure was restored, but outdoor watering bans remained in place for several weeks.

According to the release, Curley is also questioning the company’s request to impose a Distribution System Improvement Charge to fund upgrades into more than 400 infrastructure projects statewide over the next two years. Curley said he believes the improvements should have been paid for from rate increases the NJAW already received.

“These infrastructure problems should have been taken care of out of all of the increases they have received since 2007 – and that is a large amount of money,” Curley said. “They need to give money back to the public for the period of time that water and water service was not provided.”

In February, the Board of Chosen Freeholders adopted a resolution opposing a decision by New Jersey-American Water Company to seek a 20 percent rate increase.