MPWC History

The Merchantville-Pennsauken Water Commission, which is co-owned by the Borough of Merchantville and Pennsauken Township, was first established in 1926. Our service area goes beyond Merchantville and Pennsauken, we also supply water to areas in Cherry Hill Township and Camden City, as well.

During the almost 100 years that we’ve been servicing these communities, we have come a long way. We began by carrying water from customer to customer by horse and carriage. Now, water is carried by underground water mains to homes and businesses. In total, we have over 220 miles of water mains. To put that into perspective, if all of the MPWC’s water mains were put in a straight line, we could supply drinking water all the way to Richmond, Virginia!

The MPWC has 14,912 connections serving almost 50,000 individuals. Some of our largest customers include the Cherry Hill Mall, the Garden State Race Track Development, J&J Snacks, Cooper River Plaza Apts., the Merchantville Country Club, Lidesti Foods, Scrub Daddy and Pepsi Cola, just to name a few.

You’re probably wondering how much water the MPWC pumps on a daily basis. The season of the year and the weather have a tremendous impact on our pumpage. During winter months, the MPWC has averaged 5 ½ million gallons per day. During the summer months that daily number has averaged 6½ million gallons per day. This is equal to over 130 gallons of water daily for every man, woman and child in our service area.

The MPWC prides itself on the above ground water storage facilities that have been built through the years. These storage tanks greatly benefit our many customers. In total, MPWC has six (6) above ground water tanks, with the newest located in Cherry Hill. The total capacity of the above ground storage tanks is (8) million gallons of water. This type of water storage not only enhances water pressure (which is needed to take showers, sprinkle lawns and fight fires), but it also provides over a full days worth of water supply to our entire franchise area in case of an emergency situation.

The MPWC is committed to keeping abreast of the most recent advancements in water treatment technologies through continuous training and education. Our management staff, treatment and transmission personnel attend training seminars and courses designed to keep us up to date and aware of better ways to serve our customers with the safest and best tasting water possible.

The MPWC has invested in the most current and modern methods for the treatment and transmission of your drinking water. In fact, the MPWC has hosted other water treatment professionals and New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection officials to showcase our facilities and share our success stories.

These investments of time and money have enabled the MPWC to provide a continuous and plentiful supply of clean, safe, and tasty water for almost 100 years.

Our Mission

The mission of the MPWC in 1926, and continuing today, is to supply the best product at the most affordable cost to our customers.

Our Vision

The Vision of the MPWC is to preserve our mission, through forward thinking, continuing education, customer service excellence, dedicated leadership, and a deliberate quest to continually improve in every area, so that our customers recognize us as this region’s leading water utility.

Our Values

As a local water purveyor, we at the Merchantville-Pennsauken Water Commission place a strong emphasis on our communities and the value of our product and services. We pride ourselves by always providing the highest standard of excellence, from the level of customer satisfaction, to the protection and delivery of our very essential, most precious natural resource - our safe drinking water. As dedicated employees we are not just water professionals, we are customers as well.

The Merchantville-Pennsauken Water Commission is your friendly, neighborhood water company. We pride ourselves on providing our customers with the tradition of personalized service. Our Customer Support Department is known for a smiling face and a friendly voice.

We can be reached 24 hours a day, 365 days a year by calling (856) 663-0043. For emergencies, please call (856) 663-0044.

Our customers are welcome to participate in our public forum on the 2nd Thursday of each month. The meetings are held at our Administrative Headquarters, located at 6751 Westfield Avenue, Pennsauken, NJ 08110, at 4:00 PM.

Staff Directory

MPWC Administrative Headquarters

Chief Operating Officer
Jack Killion

Assistant Superintendent
James Garaguso

Engineering Director
Richard Spafford

Finance Director
Angela Waldron

Customer Service Director
Brandy Eisenmann

Staff Engineer
Raven Linton

Assistant Finance Director
Jeannine Hershey

Sources of Water Supply

So where does all this water come from? Some water companies get their water from surface sources. These include rivers, lakes, reservoirs, and in some cases, even the oceans. The MPWC gets all of its water supply from 14 underground wells that tap the Potomac-Raritan-Magothy (PRM) Aquifer and transmits it to the MPWC’s five (5) treatment facilities. The quantity of water that we are able to pump in any given minute, day, month or year is strictly governed by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP). In 1993, the NJDEP permanently reduced our permitted annual pumping capacity. Consequently, we must augment our well water supply from other sources. Currently that source is New Jersey American Water Company (NJAWC).

At the present time, a very small amount of water is purchased annually, which represents approximately 1% of our needs. NJWAC supplies water from three (3) sources: surface water from the Delaware River and groundwater from PRM and Mt. Laurel-Wenonah Aquifers.

Educational Programs

The MPWC is happy to offer guided, educational tours of our facilities to students, scouts and other groups by appointment. Contact our office at 856-663-0043 for more details or to schedule a tour.