NJWSA PARTNERS WITH NEW JERSEY ENVIRONMENTAL INFRASTRUCTURE PROGRAM TO PRESERVE TWO LAND PARCELS

August 2006

    The New Jersey Water Supply Authority’s most recent preservation efforts include two contiguous watershed parcels in Bethlehem Township totaling 104 acres.  The Reilly and Ahlemeyer properties are located within the Highlands Preservation area and the NJWSA partnered with the New Jersey Environmental Infrastructure Financing Program, which served as a source of low interest loans in this $1,026,314 acquisition.

    The NJWSA targeted these parcels due to their location in the Raritan Watershed Basin and their high groundwater recharge value.  Wetland and streams are predominant features on the properties serving as a source of water supply to the Mulhockoway Creek, which in turn is a major source of supply to the Spruce Run Reservoir.  The NJWSA manages the Spruce Run Reservoir, a Category One water body, as a source of water supply to residents of 48 municipalities in Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex, Morris, Somerset and Union counties. 

    The parcels were preserved through the NJWSA’s Raritan Highland Initiative, which is funded entirely by the NJWSA’s water customers who commit a percentage of their water purchase rates to the preservation and rehabilitation of critical watershed parcels.

    The objective is to maximize the efficiency of existing watershed preservation programs through a coordinated effort of government, non-profit, and private resources.

    With these projects, the NJWSA’s total watershed preservation totals 1,600 acres, none of which would be possible without the continued support of the NJWSA’s water customers.