Member News By Karen Burris

Hatch Mott MacDonald acquires AWS Engineers & Planners Corp.
Hatch Mott MacDonald, a full-service infrastructure, transportation and environmental engineering company has acquired water and wastewater engineering firm AWS Engineers & Planners Corp, an Ontario, Canada-based firm with offices in Burlington and the Niagara Peninsula from American Water Canada, Corp. "This acquisition is in line with Hatch Mott MacDonald's strategic vision of expanding its already significant water and wastewater capabilities from the United States into the Canadian marketplace," said Peter Wickens, Hatch Mott MacDonald Group CEO. Through this acquisition, Hatch Mott MacDonald, with a staff of 1000 in North America including 150 in Mississauga, Ontario will add 40 more people with expertise in water and wastewater engineering. "AWS not only offers Hatch Mott MacDonald a platform from which we can play a role in the future development of Ontario's infrastructure, but this acquisition will strengthen our firm's skills and capabilities in instrumentation and control system engineering, an AWS specialty." commented Nicholas DeNichilo, President of Hatch Mott MacDonald's Infrastructure Unit.

Maser Consulting Announces New Promotions
Susan S. Brasefield an Associate and Department Manager for Utilities. has been promoted to Senior Associate. Ms. Brasefield has extensive experience in various aspects of civil engineering including the planning, design, permitting and contract administration for sanitary sewer collection systems, pumping stations, sanitary sewer rehabilitation, water supply wells, potable water distribution systems, water storage tanks, irrigation systems and roadway improvements. She is a licensed Professional Engineer, a licensed Professional Planner and a Certified Municipal Engineer.

Robert DiBartolo, an Associate and Director of Program and Project Management, has been promoted to Senior Associate. Mr. DiBartolo has extensive experience in the fields of program/project management and civil/structural engineering including project management for large and complex transportation projects and structural engineering including bridge design, advanced bridge seismic analysis, bridge inspections and ratings. Mr. DiBartolo is a licensed Professional Engineer, a licensed Professional Planner and a Certified Public Manager.

Andrew B. Fetherston, an Associate and Department Manager, has been promoted to Senior Associate. Mr. Fetherston, who manages the firm's Newburgh NY office, has experience in all aspects of civil engineering and site design for residential and commercial developments, including golf courses, commercial warehouses, shopping centers and subdivisions. His experience also includes roadway intersection design, review and design of plans and reports for drainage, hydrology, stormwater systems, flood studies, sewer and pump station design, design of water distribution systems, and dam design. He is a licensed Professional Engineer and a Certified Professional in Erosion and Sediment Control.

Andrew R. Stockton, an Associate and Assistant Department Manager, has been promoted to Senior Associate. Mr. Stockton has extensive experience in civil engineering, land surveying, design, and construction administration for many commercial, office, retail and residential developments throughout New Jersey. Mr. Stockton is qualified as an expert witness in approximately 45 municipalities in New Jersey. He is a licensed Professional Engineer, Professional Land Surveyor, and a Professional Planner.

Bob Briant, Jr. takes the lead at UTCA
Bob Briant, Jr. began his service as the chief executive office at UTCA in early January after the retirement of his father Bob Briant, Sr. Bob, Jr. joined the association some 23 years ago after majoring in political science. Recently, he was appointed by former acting Governor Codey to serve as a public member of the State Transportation Trust Fund.

Jersey-Atlantic Wind Farm Dedication Dec. 12, 2005
Over one thousand neighbors, community leaders, customers and officials were on hand to celebrate the dedication of New Jersey's first wind power generation facility. The Jersey-Atlantic Wind Farm consists of five state-of-the-art "windmills" that generate electricity using only wind as fuel and reach 380 feet in the air, taller than some of the city's famed casinos. The wind turbines, an impressive symbol of new clean energy technology added to the Atlantic City skyline, are visible to over 30 million visitors each year. The project is located at the Atlantic County Utilities Authority (ACUA) Wastewater Treatment Facility in Atlantic City. "New Jersey is again leading the nation in clean energy investment," said Jeanne M. Fox, President of the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities, which provided funding for the facility. "Projects like this not only help the environment by reducing air pollution and nuclear waste, but they also create tremendous supply for our state's clean energy initiatives." Brent Alderfer, President of Community Energy, Inc., developer and co-owner of the project, said, "It is exciting to see these new, tall windmills turning against the skyline of Atlantic City. Electricity with no fuel is a bet on the future that everyone wins." Richard Dovey, ACUA President, said, "The ACUA is fortunate to have a location windy enough for a wind farm that will produce enough clean energy to help power the wastewater facility and over 2,500 homes. To assist in powering the facility, we have also built a 500-kilowatt solar project, the second largest in the state. The ACUA is proud to host the state's first wind farm and looks forward to saving on electricity costs, while reducing greenhouse gases." The wind farm will supply around 20 million kilowatt hours total of emission-free electricity to the wastewater plant and to the regional power grid. Upon completion, the wind farm will produce enough emission-free electricity to power over 2,500 homes each year, the carbon dioxide emission-offset equivalent of planting almost 1.5 million trees, or not driving over 19 million miles. Customers can choose to support the newest clean power generation in the state by purchasing New Jersey Wind energy generated by the Jersey-Atlantic Wind Farm under the recently launched New Jersey CleanPower Choice Program, sponsored by the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities. The CleanPower Choice Program allows residential and commercial electric customers to add the additional cost necessary to support this generation to their regular electric utility bill.

The Atlantic County Utilities Authority is responsible for enhancing the quality of life through the protection of waters and lands from pollution by providing responsible waste management services. The Authority is an environmental leader and will continue to use new technologies, innovations and employee ideas to provide the highest quality and most cost effective environmental services. www.acua.com.

Palmer elected Chairman of the Board
At the fall Board of Directors meeting of the Water Resources Association of the Delaware River Basin (WRA), Dennis W. Palmer, P.E., of Blackwood, NJ, was elected Chairman of the Board for a two-year term. The WRA is a non-profit watershed advocacy organization with membership from Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York and Delaware. Its mission is to promote sound water resources planning and management in the Delaware River Basin. WRA's membership is from the four state region which includes public and private water and wastewater utilities; academia; engineering, environmental consulting and legal firms; power generating companies; reservoir facilities and individuals that have a deep interest and concern for the river basin's water resources and recognition of the economic, social and environmental importance of the river. The WRA is located in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, but meets throughout the Delaware River Basin.

Mr. Palmer is the Executive Director and Chief Engineer of the Landis Sewerage Authority in Vineland, New Jersey. Mr. Palmer is a licensed Professional Engineer in the states of New Jersey and Pennsylvania. He has over 28 years experience as an environmental engineer, and had previously served on the Board of Directors and Executive Committee of the WRA. He also served as the President of the Association of Environmental Authorities in New Jersey and as the immediate past-President of the Greater Vineland Chamber of Commerce.

Pollution Control Financing Authority of Warren County Restructures Agreements with Covanta Warren Energy Resources Co., LP
The Pollution Control Financing Authority of Warren County (PCFAWC) successfully restructured all of the agreements between the PCFAWC and Covanta Warren Energy Resource Co., LP (CWERC) related to the operation of the Warren County Resource Recovery Facility (RRF) in Oxford, NJ. The PCFAWC and CWERC have been working together since 1997 to restructure the RRF operation, which was necessitated by the loss of New Jersey's regulatory flow control (the ability to direct solid waste transporters to specific disposal facilities) in November 1997.

The restructuring permits the emergence from Chapter 11 bankruptcy of CWERC, the Covanta Holding Corporation subsidiary that owns and operates the Warren RRF. CWERC entered Chapter 11 bankruptcy in April 2002 along with Covanta Energy Corporation, among others.

The restructuring also successfully pays off the remaining $12,415,000 in RRF revenue bonds. The Warren RRF was financed with $69 million in revenue bonds issued by the PCFAWC. The restructuring marked an important day for the Authority and concluded a long negotiation process with Covanta. It also marked the beginning of a successful new relationship between the Authority and Covanta and brought Covanta's Warren facility out of bankruptcy. The County of Warren benefits by terminating all of the County's legal requirements to deliver solid waste to the facility.

Other benefits of the restructuring include: " The Warren County Solid Waste Management Plan continues to be implemented by providing safe and efficient disposal of Warren County's solid waste while recovering the energy value and ferrous metals from the solid waste.

" The RRF continues to provide reliable service to our customers with economically and environmentally sounds waste disposal.

" The elimination of the PCFAWC's solid waste debt, which stood at $24,385,000 on December 1, 2004.

" Covanta paying for air pollution control upgrades (NOx) to the RRF.

The PCFAWC remains committed to providing important environmental protection services to the Warren County community. The RRF bond payoff forecasts a stable and secure outlook for the PCFAWC.

Mount Holly Wastewater Treatment Facility Gains National Recognition
Consistent compliance with permit requirements as well as outstanding and innovative practices have earned Mount Holly Municipal Utilities Authority (MHMUA) the prestigious 1st place national 2005 Operations and Maintenance Excellence Award for Medium-Sized Advanced Treatment Plants presented by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. This award is reserved for wastewater treatment plants that employ unique, innovative and outstanding practices to consistently produce exceptionally high quality treated wastewater.

Executive Director, William G. Dunn, traveled to Washington D.C. on October 31, 2005 for the award presentation ceremony. In May of 2005, MHMUA was presented with the 1st place regional award by William Muszynski of USEPA region II. In his remarks during the presentation of the award, Mr. Muszynski noted several key factors that made MHMUA worthy of the award. During July 12 -13, 2004, a significant rainfall event caused a 1,000 year flood that affected parts of Burlington County, NJ. A raw sewage pumping station owned and operated by MHMUA was destroyed in the flood. During that period, MHMUA intercepted flows to the disabled pumping station and diverted the flows to the treatment plant to prevent raw sewage from creating a public health hazard. Although MHMUA has not had any wastewater violations for over 10 years, Deputy Director for Plant Operations, Joel Hervey, saw an opportunity for a substantial increase in wastewater quality. Research and trials conducted entirely by MHMUA staff led to several changes in procedures and flow management which yielded a substantial improvement in wastewater quality and a reduction in maintenance costs. Lastly, the EPA recognized the unique and comprehensive operations and training manuals that MHMUA staff has developed. In conjunction with highly sophisticated computer network resources and remote monitoring, these manuals allow the staff to maintain consistent, high quality treatment. In accepting the regional award, Mr. Dunn acknowledged the contributions of the talented and highly skilled staff that are responsible for implementing MHMUA's award-winning practices every day.

West Paterson wants NJ American out!
The Borough of West Paterson has asked the state court to let it take over its water supply. The borough's water department requested the state court to determine if the franchise for New Jersey American Water Co. has expired. NJ Jersey American provides water service to 900 customers, about one-third of the borough's 3000 residents. If the franchise has expired, the borough plans to provide water service to the company's customers in West Paterson.

On December 14, 2005, Judge Thomas LaConte denied American Water's motion to dismiss the borough's action. West Paterson argues that the franchise expired two years ago. The NJ American Water Co. certificate of incorporation, dated 1903, states that the company solely held the right to sell water to borough residents for 100 years. Although NJ American and the borough Water Department buy their water from the same source and at the same price, residents who buy water from NJ American pay about $450 per year while residents who buy water from the borough pay about $285 annually.

George Marinakis Retires
After more than 30 years with the Cape May County MUA, 26 of those years as Executive Director, George retired at the end of 2005.

George began his employment with the CMCMUA at a time when Cape May County, along with the rest of New Jersey, was experiencing water pollution problems which were threatening the tourist based economy of the entire region. He was instrumental in obtaining almost $200 Million in Federal and State grant funds for Cape May County to construct four regional sewage transmission and treatment systems, which were placed into operation between 1982 and 1987. He provided leadership to the relatively new Authority throughout the planning, design, construction, and operation phases for the regional facilities. Project costs for the wastewater system exceeded $360,000.00. Since these facilities came on line, closures along Cape May County's beaches as a result of high fecal coliform levels have become almost nonexistent, and thousands of acres of shellfishing, previously closed because of the effects of water pollution, have been reopened for harvesting.

In addition to his contributions which resulted in cleaner ocean and back bay waters, George was also actively involved in the development and implementation of a Comprehensive Solid Waste Management Plan for Cape May County. Components of this system include a sanitary landfill, which was constructed utilizing state-of-the-art environmental protection in its design which will protect the County's limited drinking water aquifers, along with a solid waste transfer station to meet the needs of the municipalities and residents in the southern part of Cape May County. The landfill represented the first lined landfill constructed in the State of New Jersey. In his position as Executive Director of the CMCMUA, Mr. Marinakis helped develop and implement numerous programs which kept the cost of solid waste disposal to a minimum, while maximizing the amount of recycling. Under his direction, Cape May County, through a combination of public and private sector facilities, was able to recycle approximately 57% of its total waste stream during 2004.

George has been a great supported of AEA having served on the Board of Directors for 2 terms. George was also very involved with the Solid Waste committee and would constantly review numerous pieces of legislation dealing with solid waste issues. He was the recipient of the 1994 Wave Achievement Award and is now joins a group of distinguished people as a "Life Member" of AEA.

The Board of Directors, staff and members of AEA thank George for his many years of dedicated service and wish him good health and happiness in his retirement.

Bob Dalby Retires
AEA congratulates Bob Dalby who retired earlier this year from Hatch Mott MacDonald. Bob was a regular on AEA's conference committee for many years. Bob could also be found at the Hatch Mott booth at the Taj in AC. The Board of Directors and staff wish Bob and his new bride much happiness in his retirement.

In Memoriam
AEA and the Dover MUA sorrowfully announce the passing of Michael Ballina. Michael was a very valued and dedicated safety compliance officer for the DMUA for 11.5 years. Michael was respected and admired by all he came in contact with. Michael joined every safety and emergency group he possibly could, and with the encouragement of Executive Director John Broom, Michael obtained every membership and certification he could get his hands on. Michael was an active joiner, not a passive member.

Michael was a dedicated member of the AEA Preparedness Committee and was always conscientious about providing AEA with pertinent security information.

As a wonderful tribute to Michael, at his wake all emergency services in the area of the Dover Township were in attendance in full uniform. The hall was packed so you couldn't move. All Dover Township first aid squads, all Dover Township volunteer fire departments, emergency management of Dover Township, and the Dover Township police department were in attendance.

In February, the NJUA at its annual awards breakfast, will present Michael's parents a plaque designating Michael as a recipient of the JIF's Lifetime Safety Achievement Award. The award will also be renamed in Michael's honor.

Michael will be sorely missed.