A solution to water pressure problems afflicting homes and businesses on the eastern edge of Red Bank and a portion of western Fair Haven is now in the pipeline.
The Red Bank borough council introduced a bonding ordinance Wednesday night that calls for the issuance of $1.14 million in debt to pay for new water mains and other system improvements.
Under arrangements that are nearly a century old, Red Bank supplies water to 170 properties in Fair Haven through mains that in some cases are four inches in diameter, half the size they should be by modern standards. They also feed into six-inch pipes, which dramatically lowers the pressure as it passes into that portion of the distribution system.
Those mains will be replaced by 8-inchers, says Red Bank Borough Administrator Stanley Sickels. He said the work could begin by late summer.
“Now that we have the money in place, we can go full-bore,” Sickels said.
redbankgreen asked Fair Haven Mayor Mike Halfacre via email how the plan was looking from his end. His reply:
We met with Stanley last week, and had a very productive meeting. Based
upon our conversation, I think RB plans to do work sufficient to
alleviate the problem. (Although I have not seen the final bond
ordinance, I am hopeful that it covers the work we need.)