Officials expect replacement near the end of the summer
CAPE MAY — City Manager Paul Deitrich said that after some difficulty, he finally has a quote for a replacement booster pump at the water treatment plant.
“Right before Memorial Day weekend, one of the booster pumps at the plant went down on us and that was kind of our backup pump,” Dietrich said July 21, adding that they have been running well with the other two but it needs to be replaced.
The search for the replacement pump was exhaustive because the manufacturer was not responding to Dietrich. He said he found a different supplier to replace the pump.
“We’re going through that final procurement process [and] you may see an emergency resolution on an upcoming agenda authorizing that purchase,” Dietrich said. “It was just over $91,000, that would require going out to bid, but we’re not following traditional procurement because we’re doing it under the emergency process.”
He added it would take five to seven weeks and that final measurements needed to be done before it was ordered. Dietrich is working with the Water Department on the replacement.
“We’re hoping to be able to order it at the end of this week or next Monday (July 27) at the latest, to get the new pump on order,” Dietrich said.
There has been high demand for water in the city, especially after the Fourth of July weekend drew crowds, high temperatures and humidity, setting a usage record in a city already stressed by statewide drought conditions.
On July 7, Dietrich said water usage July 4-5 totaled 2.9 million gallons, 200,000 gallons more than the record set in 2024.
New Jersey is currently under a drought warning, with the state Department of Environmental Protection monitoring the situation closely. Summer water conservation guidelines include limiting lawn watering to twice weekly or less during dry weather.
The city is continuing to move forward with replacing its water desalination plant to help address the overwhelming demand on the resource, especially during the heavy tourism months. The project comes with a price tag in the range of $36 million to $40 million.
The plant was built to address saltwater intrusion into the city’s aquifers. It is housed in the city’s waterworks building, which was built around 1926. The building will be preserved and a new plant will be constructed in what is now a parking lot.
In other business, resident Jules Rauch asked City Council about showers on the beaches, noting they do not operate as well as they are supposed to and asked how the issue is monitored or addressed.
Mayor Zack Mullock asked Dietrich if that is something the beach taggers call in to the city. Dietrich said the city receives calls all the time and sometimes from the public.
“If you pump the thing a couple of times, it shuts off and most of the time it’s a fellow resident that kind of shuts it off,” Dietrich said. “If we get one that really sticks, they call it in and the water/sewer department comes out and takes a look at it.”
Dietrich added that the showers are inspected and reviewed daily. Mullock commented that it would make sense to make sure the beach taggers are aware as well.
Rauch also inquired if the water distribution to the showers could be electronically shut off at night until the next day.
Dietrich said they’re hooked up at various locations and that would be difficult.
By RACHEL SHUBIN/Special to the Star and Wave