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Infrastructure Upgrades

Home » Infrastructure Upgrades

Reliability
Resiliency
Safety
Water for Tomorrow

Be sure to check out improvements we are making under our

Water for Tomorrow program.

Providing a safe and reliable drinking water supply is of paramount importance. If you own a car or a home, you know that these require upkeep and ongoing maintenance. The same can be said for water system infrastructure. Quality water relies on a distribution system whose water mains, valves, fire hydrants, plants, storage facilities are working properly and efficiently. The Middlesex Water family of companies maintain a diligent and strategic approach to water and wastewater upgrades and replacement based on solid asset management practices. We do so we can provide safe water and reliable fire protection while complying with increasingly stringent water quality and environmental regulations.

Meter Relocation Project

Middlesex Water Company (MWC) is initiating an effort to relocate water meters from the inside of a premise to an exterior water meter enclosure commonly referred to as a meter pit. MWC is bound by regulations set by the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities to periodically change and test meters and verify meter readings to ensure meter accuracy. Meters need to be tested and calibrated to ensure they are accurately reflecting the water usage on which customers are billed. However, coordinating scheduling with our customer’s busy schedules to enter homes to conduct this testing is getting harder to do. For this reason, meters are being relocated to exterior meter pits by MWC personnel or one of its approved contractors at no cost to you.

The installation of meter pits outside the home offers customers several benefits:

Convenience

Customers no longer need to wait for a MWC utility personnel to perform meter work or replacement because all future meter work, maintenance and reading activity will be conducted outside the home.

Safety

Customers no longer need to allow strangers access into their home for meter testing purposes because this will be now done outside the home. This is important because there have been instances of imposters posing as water utility personnel seeking to gain entry to customer homes.

No Maintenance

Maintenance of the interior meter was previously the customer’s responsibility. With meters being relocated outdoors, maintaining them will now be MWC’s responsibility.

Quick and Easy Access

Installing meters in exterior pits allows for safer, quicker and easier access to meters by MWC crews. Minutes matter when our crews need quick access to turn water off in emergencies.

Protection from Potential Damage

Meters can sometimes leak and cause interior home damage and customer inconvenience. This can, in some cases, impact homeowner’s insurance. Positioning meters outside the home eliminates that potential for risk.

Security

Outdoor meter pit installation helps maintain water rates by preventing unauthorized use of water service.

Meter Pit Location

The exterior pit, housing the meter, will be located between the curb and side walk, behind the sidewalk, or in the sidewalk. The selection of the meter pit location is typically determined by where the municipality has expressed a preference, as well as actual field conditions such as buried underground utilities, available space or practicality.

The meter pit location will initially be restored temporarily. Complete restoration to restore areas disturbed by this work typically occurs within 1-3 months, weather permitting.

Customers will be notified of the meter relocation via letters and door hangers. Following meter relocation, customers will be advised to contact our contractor to have their old meter removed.

Meter Pit Installation
Crews relocate water meters from inside a premise to an exterior meter pit to allow swifter access, especially important in emergencies.
Middlesex Water Company

Middlesex Water Company
485C Route 1 South, Suite 400                             Iselin, NJ 08830

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MATERIALS VERIFICATION TEST

The Materials Verification Test below can help you figure out if you have a lead, galvanized steel, copper, or plastic service line on the portion of the service line you own. When you have completed the visual inspection, please submit your results using the following survey link. If you have a lead or galvanized steel service line, Middlesex Water will contact you to confirm the results and schedule your service line replacement.

What you need:

  1. House key or coin
  2. Strong refrigerator magnet

Steps to check your service line:

  1. Find the water meter in your basement or outside your home and look at the service line that enters the water meter.
  2. Use the house key or coin to carefully scratch the pipe surface.
  3. Compare the scratched area to the following descriptions:
    • If it looks shiny and silver, the pipe is made of lead. A magnet will not stick to a lead pipe.
    • If it is a dull gray color with no noticeable scratch on the surface, the pipe is galvanized steel. A magnet will stick to a galvanized steel pipe.
    • If it is the same color as a penny, the pipe is copper. A magnet will not stick to a copper pipe.
    • If it is smooth and red, blue, white, or black, the pipe is plastic. A magnet will not stick to a plastic pipe.
  4. Report your service line material in this SURVEY
copper pipe
Dull brown or greenish: You DO NOT have a lead service line
Galvanized Steel Pipe
Grey or silver: You DO have a galvanized steel service line that should be replaced. A magnet will stick to a galvanized steel service line.
Lead Pipe
Grey or silver: You DO have a lead service line that should be replaced.
Red, blue, black, or white: You DO NOT have lead service line.

ENTERPRISE ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY

THE MIDDLESEX WATER ENTERPRISE WILL:

• Comply with, or produce results better than, applicable laws and regulations set forth by state utility commissions and government environmental regulatory agencies.

• Include the consideration of environmental impact in all business strategies, initiatives and project plans.

• Work to ensure a reliable source of water supply.

• Promote respect for the environment as part of our Company’s culture among employees and our suppliers in their daily operations.

• Focus on reducing the amount of water lost (non-revenue) in our distribution system and employ leak detection and other available technology to achieve this goal.

• Prevent pollution, reduce waste and minimize the consumption of resources to minimize risks to the environment.

• Continually work to educate customers about the importance of protecting and preserving our natural resources and the importance of wise water use.

• Educate, train and motivate employees to carry out tasks in an environmentally responsible manner.

• Build in system resiliency to mitigate effects of climate change and other short and long-term climate related challenges.

• Use efficient practices that save fuel, energy and water.

• Work with our industry and legislative representatives to shape public policy and legislation that supports water objectives and helps ensure safe drinking water.

• Invest prudently in our systems for infrastructure stability, operational resiliency and continued sustainability utilizing sound asset management planning.

• Engage with our community to ensure responsiveness to local needs and interests.

• Work in collaboration with our communities, local municipal officials and our vendors to ensure a clean, safe, reliable and resilient water supply.

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