Sewer project is about ready to be hooked up

photo by Joe phalon

Residential and commercial properties will soon be able to hook up to the newly installed sewage system in the Pompton Plains business district of Pequannock.

Modern technology is coming to the business district in the Pompton Plains section of the township. While the outhouses may have been replaced by indoor plumbing decades ago, that plumbing will soon be able to be hooked up to the sewage system that has been under construction for the past year.

The township will be taking possession of the system from the contractor after all inspections and punch-list items have been completed, said Township Manager David Hollberg, most likely in the next couple weeks.

The portion of the system west of the railroad right-of-way, part of a $13 million project to install sewers in several areas of the Pompton Plains section of town, including the neighborhood known as The Village, is all but complete, Hollberg said. Work on the areas east of the railroad, which include The Village, are continuing on schedule, he said, with a completion date expected later this year.

Homes on Sunset Road and side streets, such as Leeland and Atwood avenues, will also be able to hook up to the system, Hollberg said.

Although hooking up to the sewage system and disconnecting from septic systems is mandatory, most homeowners will have up to three years to complete the process, Hollberg said.

Some businesses, however, are expected to want to hook up quickly, Hollberg said. Quick Chek convenience store on Jackson Avenue has indicated it would like to connect as soon as possible. Quick Chek relies on a sealed septic system, which requires emptying several times a month.

In general, Hollberg said, the ability to hook into sewers should improve the business environment in the area.

"We hope this will make the area more attractive to businesses that consume a lot of water, such as restaurants," he said. Just this week, Friendlys on the Turnpike abruptly closed, and last summer, Gillys, a restaurant just a few blocks north, also closed with little notice and remains shuttered.

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Sewer project is about ready to be hooked up