New Jersey American Water Readies for Tropical Depression Ida
State’s largest water and wastewater utility prepares for operational impacts of heavy rainfall; shares flood safety tips for customers
CAMDEN, NJ (SEPT. 1, 2021) – Water is everything to New Jersey American Water. But too much water can cause problems for water and wastewater utilities. As Tropical Depression Ida approaches the state threatening heavy rainfall and possible flooding tonight and into tomorrow, New Jersey American Water has initiated readiness efforts to mitigate potential impacts to its water and wastewater treatment plants and pump stations.
“Safety is our top priority as we prepare for an extreme weather event, and emergency response planning is crucial to continuing to provide safe and reliable water and wastewater service to our customers,” said Thomas Shroba, vice president of operations for New Jersey American Water. “Our team of experts is highly trained on emergency preparedness, response and management. If floodwaters rise, our team is prepared to meet the challenges of keeping our systems operational and restoring service quickly if they are impacted.”
As part of the company’s readiness efforts, operations personnel have tested and fueled generators, vehicles and fuel storage tanks, secured additional water treatment chemicals, staged sandbags at treatment plant intakes, prepared wastewater treatment plants for increased flows, reviewed plans for monitoring water levels outside our treatment facilities, and updated staffing plans to help with response efforts. Extra preparation efforts are underway at the company’s Raritan-Millstone Water Treatment Plant, which is situated on the Raritan River and has a recently enhanced flood protection system, as well as at the company’s six other surface water treatment plants.
New Jersey American Water also reminds customers to take precautions of their own by following these flood safety tips:
- Make an emergency plan. Visit ready.gov/plan to get started. This plan will help you know what to do, where to go, and what you will need to help protect yourself, your family and your pets from flooding. Learn and practice evacuation routes, shelter plans, and flash flood response. Gather supplies, including non-perishable foods, cleaning supplies, and water for several days, in case you must leave immediately or if services are cut off in your area.
- Know Your Risk for Floods. Visit FEMA's Flood Map Service Centerto know types of flood risk in your area. Sign up for your community’s warning system. The Emergency Alert System (EAS) and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Weather Radio also provide emergency alerts.
- Turn around, don’t drown. Do not walk, swim or drive through flood waters. Just six inches of moving water can knock you down, and one foot of moving water can sweep your vehicle away.
- If under a flood warning, find a safe shelter. Stay where you are, move to higher ground or a higher floor, and evacuate if told to do so.
- Be aware of the risk of electrocution. Do not touch electrical equipment if it is wet or if you are standing in water. Turn off the electricity to prevent electric shock if it is safe to do so.
- Avoid wading in floodwater, which can be contaminated and contain dangerous debris. Underground or downed power lines can also electrically charge the water.
For more flood safety tips, visit https://www.ready.gov/floods and follow New Jersey American Water on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
New Jersey American Water, a subsidiary of American Water (NYSE: AWK), is the largest investor-owned water utility in the state, providing high-quality and reliable water and/or wastewater services to approximately 2.8 million people. For more information, visit www.newjerseyamwater.com and follow New Jersey American Water on Twitter and Facebook.
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CAMDEN, NJ (SEPT. 1, 2021) – Water is everything to New Jersey American Water. But too much water can cause problems for water and wastewater utilities. As Tropical Depression Ida approaches the state threatening heavy rainfall and possible flooding tonight and into tomorrow, New Jersey American Water has initiated readiness efforts to mitigate potential impacts to its water and wastewater treatment plants and pump stations.
“Safety is our top priority as we prepare for an extreme weather event, and emergency response planning is crucial to continuing to provide safe and reliable water and wastewater service to our customers,” said Thomas Shroba, vice president of operations for New Jersey American Water. “Our team of experts is highly trained on emergency preparedness, response and management. If floodwaters rise, our team is prepared to meet the challenges of keeping our systems operational and restoring service quickly if they are impacted.”
As part of the company’s readiness efforts, operations personnel have tested and fueled generators, vehicles and fuel storage tanks, secured additional water treatment chemicals, staged sandbags at treatment plant intakes, prepared wastewater treatment plants for increased flows, reviewed plans for monitoring water levels outside our treatment facilities, and updated staffing plans to help with response efforts. Extra preparation efforts are underway at the company’s Raritan-Millstone Water Treatment Plant, which is situated on the Raritan River and has a recently enhanced flood protection system, as well as at the company’s six other surface water treatment plants.
New Jersey American Water also reminds customers to take precautions of their own by following these flood safety tips:
- Make an emergency plan. Visit ready.gov/plan to get started. This plan will help you know what to do, where to go, and what you will need to help protect yourself, your family and your pets from flooding. Learn and practice evacuation routes, shelter plans, and flash flood response. Gather supplies, including non-perishable foods, cleaning supplies, and water for several days, in case you must leave immediately or if services are cut off in your area.
- Know Your Risk for Floods. Visit FEMA's Flood Map Service Centerto know types of flood risk in your area. Sign up for your community’s warning system. The Emergency Alert System (EAS) and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Weather Radio also provide emergency alerts.
- Turn around, don’t drown. Do not walk, swim or drive through flood waters. Just six inches of moving water can knock you down, and one foot of moving water can sweep your vehicle away.
- If under a flood warning, find a safe shelter. Stay where you are, move to higher ground or a higher floor, and evacuate if told to do so.
- Be aware of the risk of electrocution. Do not touch electrical equipment if it is wet or if you are standing in water. Turn off the electricity to prevent electric shock if it is safe to do so.
- Avoid wading in floodwater, which can be contaminated and contain dangerous debris. Underground or downed power lines can also electrically charge the water.
For more flood safety tips, visit https://www.ready.gov/floods and follow New Jersey American Water on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
New Jersey American Water, a subsidiary of American Water (NYSE: AWK), is the largest investor-owned water utility in the state, providing high-quality and reliable water and/or wastewater services to approximately 2.8 million people. For more information, visit www.newjerseyamwater.com and follow New Jersey American Water on Twitter and Facebook.