Jersey City, United Water reach new pact

by Ken Thorbourne
Wednesday January 30, 2008, 6:00 PM

The Jersey City Municipal Utilities Authority has struck a new 10-year deal with United Water to manage the city's water system.

Under the terms of the agreement, United Water will manage the treatment plant, watershed, aqueduct, and distribution system, and provide customer service, meter reading and billing services, officials said.

For these services, the JCMUA will pay United Water $13 million per year, according to United Water spokesman Rich Henning. The JCMUA is in charge of setting water rates.

The final contract terms have been submitted to the state Board of Public Utilities, the state Department of Environmental Protection and the Local Finance Board for review. The JCMUA held public hearings on the contract.

United Water, whose current contract expires tomorrow, has operated the Jersey City facilities through a public-private partnership since 1996. The new contract would take effect Friday.

"Our partnership with United Water has been successful on many levels," said Jersey City Mayor Jerramiah T. Healy. "By working together we have made significant financial and environmental progress for our city."

According to a press release put out by United Water, over the past decade, the company has collected a record $78.4 million in annual billings in 2007 for the JCMUA, compared to $42 million collected in 1997; reduced major maintenance equipment repair costs by 500 percent, from $2.7 million in 2000 to $500,000 in 2006; and improved meter reading from 60 percent to an average of 97 percent actual reads.

United Water has roughly 35,000 customers in Jersey City.

what? are we buying egyptian water from paris and paying for it in euros? this makes no sense.

Suez Environment unit renews Jersey City water contract for 90 mln eur

CNN
January 30, 2008


PARIS, Jan. 30, 2008 -- Suez Environment said its United Water subsidiary has renewed a contract to manage drinking water services for Jersey city, New Jersey for 10 years in a deal worth 90 mln eur.