Ridgewood Water says most PFAS treatment plants on track, all‑in cost projected near $150M

Ridgewood — Ridgewood Water updated the Village Council on Sept. 29 on the status of a 12‑site program to remove per‑ and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) from the utility’s drinking water system, saying the majority of plants are under construction and that the utility is pursuing multiple grant and loan offsets to blunt borrowing costs.

Rich Calbee, director of Ridgewood Water, told the council that nine facilities are currently under construction and that "we expect 11 of 12 plants to be active by 2026, with the final plant likely carrying into early 2027" because of cultural‑resource review and re‑bidding at the largest site (Cedar Hill). He said the system already has several active plants and that an interconnection with Hawthorne — whose source water tests PFAS‑free — now supplies treated water year‑round to help lower system PFAS concentrations.

Calbee gave immediate schedule and technical details: the utility is using both activated carbon and resin treatment vessels. He said the steel vessels have a expected service life of "50 years" and that carbon media must be replaced annually; two constrained sites will use smaller resin vessels. Calgon‑brand vessels and large carbon loads were shown in a public video demonstrating the scale of the build‑out.

On costs, Ridgewood Water separated "construction‑only" and total program expense. Calbee said the construction‑only price tag for the 12 plants is roughly $63–67 million and that award contracts for equipment, mains and site work have been recorded publicly. He added that an additional $30–40 million of engineering, construction inspection and administration is projected, producing a mid‑range program subtotal of about $98 million by the end of construction, with interest, fees and other ancillary costs increasing the projected "all‑in" total to about $150 million.

Calbee and council members outlined offsetting revenues and financing tools the utility is pursuing: a confirmed federal grant of about $2.8 million, a newly entered $1 million state grant in the SAGE system, and principal‑forgiveness commitments from the New Jersey Infrastructure Bank that Calbee estimated could total roughly $5–7 million across projects. He said the utility has pursued every available grant avenue and is optimistic about additional recoveries from legal or insurance claims where applicable.

Council members asked for clarity on the gap between the $63–67 million construction line and the larger estimates. Calbee explained that the lower figure excludes engineering, inspection, administration, interest and other ancillary costs; when those are added the projection reaches the $98 million subtotal and approaches $150 million when long‑term financing costs are included.

Calbee also reviewed plant‑level timing and capacity: several plants will be brought into service within days to weeks, including Prospect (scheduled to begin treatment the day after the meeting), and Ravine (expected online by November). He said the large Cedar Hill plant — the most complex and most delayed — remains in re‑bid and is the primary reason one plant is forecast beyond 2026.

The presentation stressed conservation while construction continues. Calbee said the more customers conserve water, the higher the percentage of water in the distribution system that will be below the PFAS maximum contaminant level set by New Jersey DEP (PFOA 14 parts per trillion and PFOS 13 parts per trillion, per the DEP standard mentioned in the presentation).

Next steps: Ridgewood Water will continue awarding remaining contracts, pursue written commitments for anticipated grants and principal forgiveness, and seek the council’s approvals on specific capital resolutions and change orders as individual projects reach procurement milestones. The utility also asked the council to authorize related grant signature resolutions already on the agenda.

"We're getting clean water into the pipes as soon as we can," Calbee said. "Everything else is ancillary to that."