SMCMUA Purchases Wellhead Protection Property in Hanover Township        

 

The Southeast Morris County Municipal Utilities Authority (SMCMUA) added 18.92 acres of wellhead protection land to its Wing and Todd well fields in Hanover Township.  Board Chairman Mary E. Dougherty presented Father Uriy Markewch, Pastor of St. John Ukrainian Catholic Church with a check for $545,000 for the almost 19 acre parcel.

 

“SMCMUA and the Church have been negotiating this transaction for a long time.  Agreement between the parties marks the end of several years of discussions and avoids costly litigation for both sides”, Dougherty said.

 

The property became an issue when the Church announced it had purchased the land and intended to move its operations to the site.  SMCMUA has two major groundwater wells on the property adjacent to the Ridgedale Avenue parcel and worried that any development of the land might lead to contamination of two key sources of supply.  According the SMCMUA Executive Director Harry G. Gerken, Wing Well is the largest groundwater well in North Jersey.  “Wing Well has been providing up to 4 million gallons of water a day for customers since 1949.  Todd Well’s capacity of 1.5 million gallons a day makes these two wells vital to the integrity of the water system.  There is no such thing as too much protection for these facilities.” Gerken said.

 

Ratepayers will be pleased to know that the funding for this acquisition will be coming from the recently concluded agreement with Randolph and Mendham Townships for the sale of a permanent conservation easement on 905 acres of watershed land.  “SMCMUA will be receiving $3.0 million from various State, Morris County and local open space trust funds.  Our first priority for the use of this money is wellhead and additional watershed protection.  The acquisition of the Church property is the first major wellhead protection parcel but we hope it will not be the last”, Dougherty noted.

 

St. John’s Church has been a member of the Hanover Township community for generations and is currently planning to relocate from its current home on Route 10 and Jefferson Road to another site within Hanover Township.  The Church purchased the 18.92-acre site in December 1998 for $350,000.  “The contract price has been established by independent appraisals and good faith negotiations.  Everyone benefits in this transaction especially our customers who need to know that their water supplies will not be further threatened by more development", Gerken said.