August 11, 2010 THE VILLADOM TIMES II • Page 7 Area The Borough of Midland Park has received permission from the NJ Department of Environmental Protection to connect 61 homes in the Glen Avenue area to Ridgewood’s sanitary sewer system. The NJDEP approval is a major component of the borough’s application for a low-interest loan from the NJ Infrastructure Financial Trust, the program designated to administer federal stimulus funds.. If the application is ultimately approved, the borough stands to receive an interest- Local sewer project gets crucial DEP approval free loan for 50 percent of the cost of the project, according to Borough Administrator Michelle Dugan. When the borough first applied for the program two years ago - at which time it did not make the cut-off point - 75 percent of the loan would have been interest-free. The borough plans to connect the 61 homes in Miedama Place/Fairview Avenue/Glen Avenue to Ridgewood via a 175-ft. gravity main at a cost of $607,000. At present the flow from the homes goes via a pump station and force main to the NWBCUA in Waldwick. The rest of the borough’s 2,959 sewer connections flow into the NWBCUA via gravity. The 15-year-old pump station at the corner of Glen and Erie avenues has been experiencing system failures, and the force main has had three significant breaks over the past decade, according to borough officials. During the recent storm, Dugan said, the pump station lost power for two days, necessitating a truck standing by in case of a back up at a significant cost to the borough. “Thankfully, we have had no sewer line breaks since we put in the original application,” Dugan said. “When ultimately we hook up to Ridgewood and gravity takes over, all those headaches will disappear.” The DEP review determined that the increased flow from the connection will have little or no adverse impact on environmental critical areas, such as wetlands, parks, 100-year floodplains, endangered species habitats, cultural resources, etc. The additional wastewater is so minimal that Ridgewood will not need a change in its DEP permits. The additional sanitary flow from Midland Park is expected to be 18,300 gallons per day; Ridgewood discharges 2.5 million gallons per day into its treatment facility in Glen Rock. The project has the approval of the Ridgewood Council and the Northwest Bergen County Utilities Authority, and bonding has been in place for almost a year. Town officials determined a number of years ago that connecting to the Ridgewood sewer main would be more economical than upgrading the existing main and replacing the pump station, which has a useful life of five years or less. NEED MULCH? Senior center hosts ‘Hughie’ ‘Hughie,’ a one-act play by Eugene O’Neill performed by veteran Ridgewood actor David G. Kennedy (pictured) will return for a fourth encore performance at the Northwest Bergen Regional Senior Center 46-50 Center Street, Midland Park on Aug. 25 at 12:30 p.m. Kennedy has five decades of acting experience. Reservations are required; call (201) 445-5690. Hardwood • Hemlock Cedar • Oak Colored: Black, Brown, Red Top Soil • Compost Decorative Stone Pruning • Yard Clean Up Small Plantings Installation • Free Estimates • Wholesale and Retail RVH MULCH SUPPLY • WYCKOFF, NJ 201-304-5055 7-28-10 Pat/Janine RHVMulchColor3x3(7-28-10) 3 x 3” rev1 Summer Special ���������������� ������� ���������������� ���������� ����������� ������������ ���������� ��������������������������������������������������� ���������������������������������������������������� ����������������������������������������������������������������������� ����������������������