The team working on the plant's wet-weather pumping station upgrade consists of general contractor Tomar Construction, East Brunswick, N.J., and the Piscataway, N.J. office of electrical, structural and civil engineer AECOM. Work includes replacing electrical distribution equipment and switchgear and synchronous motor controllers, which will be replaced with low-maintenance controllers. The team will also service three wet-weather pump motors off site.
Work is expected to begin in "about two months," says John Rotolo, the utility's chief engineer. The project is scheduled for completion by 2018. He says the scope of work also includes converting large wound rotor motors to variable frequency drive service; electric motor rebuilding; building modifications; switchgear and monitor and control systems; and instrumentation systems.
The plant, New Jersey's largest, suffered extreme damage in October 2012 after it was overwhelmed by a 4-ft wall of water in its vulnerable location where the Passaic River meets Newark Bay. The deluge destroyed buildings and equipment, flooded underground substructure and short-circuited automated systems. More than a year later, most functions are back on line, PVSC says. It adds that while a temporary flood-control barricade system has been implemented, some major systems remain in need of repair—a situation also faced by other Sandy-impacted treatment facilities in the state.
