Atlantic County Utilities Authority received word that state grant funding would be made available for wastewater reuse projects in Atlantic County. Since that time, the ACUA has been diligently planning and designing a "state of the art" treatment facility to take raw sewage and turn it into a usable product that meets New Jersey Category I standards for use as irrigation water.

This project by the ACUA, involves "mining" raw wastewater from the Authority's Smithville Pumping Station and treating the wastewater via a "membrane biological reactor" treatment process. The system will be designed to process and store 360,000 gallons per day to be used as irrigation water in six Four Seasons Communities in the Smithville section of Galloway, NJ. The "membrane biological reactor" system was chosen after an in-depth technology assessment by the ACUA and design consultant, Hazen and Sawyer.

Several areas in the United States have been using similar technologies to reuse this valuable resource. Florida, Arizona and California are examples of where drinking water is in short supply therefore the need to reuse reclaimed water for purposes can save valuable drinking water. The primary advantage to this project is exactly that. The local droughts experienced a few years back have brought this technology to the forefront in the Northeast. Using reclaimed water for irrigation directly reduces gallon for gallon the need for potable water.

The estimated cost of the project is $5.1 million. The ACUA has been awarded a $3.6 million grant from the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection that will be used to offset design and construction costs. In addition, NJEIT will provide the balance of the project in the form of a loan to the ACUA. The water reuse project for Smithville is shovel ready. ACUA is in the final stages of starting this project in which the agreement just needs to be signed by the Four Seasons Community. The ACUA is looking forward to setting this project up in the near future and looks forward in helping Atlantic County become more environmentally friendly.