Archives: MPWC Updates

Earth Day serves as an important reminder of the role we all play in protecting the environment and preserving the natural resources, like water, that sustain our communities. For the Merchantville Pennsauken Water Commission, this year’s observance is even more significant as we’re simultaneously celebrating our 100^th anniversary. We’re reflecting on a century of sustainable water management, which has allowed us to provide safe, clean and reliable water for those in our community.

From safe drinking water and sanitation to supporting local ecosystems and ecosystems, water is critical to daily life. This Earth Day, we’re taking closer look at how the MPWC safeguards your water, why conservation is important and how you can help protect this finite resource.

Why Water Matters on Earth Day

While the Earth contains vast amounts of water, only a small percentage is accessible freshwater. Protecting that supply is critical – not just for today, but for future generations. A  healthy water system is the backbone of public health, environmental balance, economic growth and more.

At MPWC, we pull water from 14 wells in the Potomac-Raritan-Magothy Aquifer. This aquifer underlies much of the South Jersey area and provides water to a great number of New Jersey residents in Camden and Gloucester counties through a variety of water utility systems. While it is a massive aquifer, high usage throughout the 20^th century has led to declining water levels – a reality we must consider as we plan for the future.

The Role of Water Utilities in Protecting the Environment

Behind every faucet is a complex water utility system designed to ensure water is safe, clean and reliable. At MPWC, our focus is water. We practice environmental stewardship by managing and maintaining these systems responsibly, with long-term sustainability in mind.

This includes:

• Treating water to meet or exceed strict quality standards outlined by the NJDEP and EPA.
• Continuous monitoring for safety and compliance.
• Maintaining and upgrading infrastructure to prevent service interruptions.
• Detecting and addressing leaks to reduce water loss within the system.

• Modernizing aging infrastructure to improve efficiency and address emerging contaminants.

While these efforts typically happen behind the scenes, they are essential to protecting both water quality and supply while minimizing environmental impact.

 

 

What You Can Do to Help

Protecting and conserving our water resources is a shared responsibility. Wise water use at home can make a significant cumulative impact, helping to reduce water and conserve our most precious resource.

Here are a few simple ways to make a difference on Earth Day and every day:

• Fix leaks in faucets, toilets, and irrigation systems.
• Install water-efficient fixtures and appliances.
• Run dishwashers and washing machines with full loads.
• Limit unnecessary outdoor watering and avoid water waste.
• Be mindful of when you’re watering lawns and flowers – before 9 a.m. and after 5 p.m. in the summer helps avoid evaporation.
• Adhere to guidance on watering during drought conditions.
• Be mindful of water use during peak demand periods.

 

Water conservation works best when water utilities like MPWC and the community work together. Earth Day reminds us to value our water, protect it and use it wisely – not just once a year, but every day.

As the MPWC enters its second century of service, we remain your partners in conservation. By staying mindful of how we manage water today, we’re working to ensure it remains safe and accessible for the next 100 years and beyond.

 

The Merchantville Pennsauken Water Commission’s spring flushing program will take place Sunday through Thursday nights beginning April 19 through April 23 and continuing April 26 through April 30, 2026, between the hours of 7:00 PM and 11:00 PM.

Hydrant flushing is an important element in our continuous efforts to improve the quality of water in our system. This procedure clears the distribution system of non-harmful sediment that may build up over time, as well as helps us ensure that each hydrant is operating properly for fire-fighting purposes. The MPWC schedules hydrant flushing during night hours to create the least impact on our customers.

While we are flushing in your neighborhood, you may experience decreased water pressure and /or temporary discoloration of your water. While discoloration can be startling to see, rest assured it poses no health or safety issues, as the cause of the discoloration is non-harmful iron and manganese mineral. The MPWC will be posting flushing routes on our Facebook page throughout the duration of the spring program. If you see your street or a nearby cross-street listed on our Facebook page, we recommend not running your water between flushing times as the best course of action to prevent an accidental draw of discolored water into your home or business system. If discoloration does occur, we advise you to simply run your cold water for a few minutes until it is clear. The MPWC encourages you to check for discolored water before doing laundry.

The MPWC works diligently to keep all of our neighbors and customers informed of the specific areas of flushing each evening. For the most up-to-date information please Like us on Facebook. We will post an updated list every day! In addition, if you have not already signed up to get notifications from the MPWC, please visit SMART 911 so that you may receive notification of hydrant flushing, as well as any other service notifications should they arise in your area. Any specific questions regarding the flushing program, please contact the MPWC’s Customer Support Center at (856) 663-0043.

In 2026, the Merchantville-Pennsauken Water Commission (MPWC) is celebrating 100 years of delivering clean, safe, and reliable water to Merchantville, Pennsauken and parts of Cherry Hill and Camden.

While access to clean water direct from the tap may be something many of us take for granted, this milestone is more than that – it’s actually evidence of community vision, resilience and public health leadership. And, it’s thanks to those who led our communities  a century ago that we are here today.

At the dawn of the 20th century, water was delivered by horse-and-carriage and service in the area was far from reliable. Our location along the Delaware River and its many tributaries meant yes, water was nearly everywhere – but, like the poem says, not all of it was suitable for drinking.

 

Some residents relied on poor producing wells, while some dealt with an overabundance and faced flooding from subsurface water. Others drew their water from the numerous nearby springs, ponds and streams, as well as the Pennsauken Creek, resulting in exposure contamination and even typhoid outbreaks. As the communities of Merchantville and Pennsauken grew, the demand for a safe, reliable water supply became urgent.

Earlier entities created to manage the water supply struggled. Water pressure was inconsistent and concerns about the quality of the water remained. Recognizing implications to public health, local residents took control of the existing Merchantville Water Company system in 1910s and early 1920s, investing in improvements and building it into a functioning utility and the precursor of the MPWC we know today.

When a private company showed interest in buying the water plant, the community advocated instead for joint municipal ownership by the Borough of Merchantville and Township of Pennsauken. The goal: a water supply “second to none at reasonable rates,” a promise MPWC continues to uphold today.

Since its official establishment in 1926, MPWC has grown into a modern water utility serving nearly 50,000 residents through more than 14,900 connections. The MPWC produces an average of 6 million gallons of water daily, sourced from the Potomac-Raritan-Magothy Aquifer. Hundreds of miles of underground mains and multiple storage tanks now ensure homes, businesses and emergency services have reliable access to clean, safe water.

And, just like when MPWC was founded in 1926, water quality and innovation remain top priorities. Annual investment supports infrastructure modernization, main replacement programs and advanced treatment upgrades like carbon filtration to remove emerging contaminants, including PFAS and 1,4-dioxane. These improvements safeguard public health while keeping water rates among the lowest in the region.

From springs and wells to aquifer-fed, advanced treatment systems, our story is one of community leadership, innovation and a century-long commitment to clean water for all who call the area home. As we look forward to the next century, we remain dedicated to protecting public health and strengthening our water system.

Follow along and join us as we celebrate our 100^th anniversary by learning more about our history, our work and our plans for the future as we celebrate MPWC’s legacy and continued focus on clean, affordable and reliable water.

For more about MPWC’s 100th anniversary, visit mpwc.com/100-years.

 

 

View the public form HERE.

In 2026, the Merchantville-Pennsauken Water Commission (MPWC) is celebrating a century of delivering clean, safe and reliable water to Merchantville, Pennsauken and parts of Cherry Hill and the City of Camden.

 

NJ I-Bank and NJDEP Helping to Improve New Jersey’s Environmental Infrastructure, One Project at a Time

We are pleased to report that during the past year, the water delivered to your home or business complied with or exceeded all state and federal drinking water requirements.

Once again we proudly present our annual Consumer Confidence Report. This edition covers all testing completed from January through December 2024. Our compliance with all state and federal drinking water laws remains exemplary. As always, we are committed to delivering the best quality drinking water. We remain vigilant in meeting the challenges of source water protection, water conservation, and community education while continuing to serve the needs of all our water users.

The MPWC has attained a special designation from the NJ Department of Labor and Workforce Development that highlights the organization’s commitment to creating a safe working environment for its staff.  

The Public Employees Occupational Safety and Health (PEOSH) On-Site Consultation and Training program provides free consulting and training to public entities and helps provide a safer work environment.  Through the program, consultants assess safety management systems, identify hazards and provide training to public employers, which in turn assists in preventing accidents, injuries and fatalities.  Having been accepted into the Safety & Health Achievement Recognition Program (SHARP), the MPWC is the first public utility to earn this achievement in over a decade. 

In order to join SHARP, the MPWC needed to meet the program’s eligibility requirements, complete a full-service safety and health visit from the On-site Consultation Program, correct any identified hazards, have a safety and health management system with employee participation, and enact an action plan to improve their safety and health program.  

“This accomplishment was years in the making and was only possible through the dedication of our Safety Coordinator, Sean Fitzgerald, as well as the complete buy-in of our staff from top to bottom,” said Joe Scavuzzo, MPWC Commission President.  “We at the Merchantville-Pennsauken Water Commission remain committed to maintain the highest level of safety for all of our facilities.  Our people deserve nothing less.” 

New Jersey Assembly Bill 5343 requires all water systems to inventory and replace lead and galvanized service lines.  While the majority of our lines are copper, we are required to provide to the state of New Jersey, an accurate inventory of the various service line types on the customer-owned portion of the service for our entire service area.  

While many of our customers have already responded, there are a significant number of unidentified service lines.  Over the past several years, the MPWC has sent multiple mailings, left door hangers, and even gone door-to-door in an effort to complete our inventory.  

The State of New Jersey requires, by law, that any service line that has the possibility of containing lead be replaced due to the dangers of lead in drinking water.  The MPWC continues to reach out to our rate payers that have lead, galvanized or other non-conforming water service lines from the curb into the house so that we may coordinate for their replacement.

The replacement of these services is very important to the public health of our customers. Be advised that the MPWC will begin initiating service terminations for customers who have not complied with the service line identification and replacement requests.  

If you have not responded, or if you are unsure if the MPWC has inventoried your property, please contact our office at your earliest convenience to avoid service termination and to take advantage of this limited-time offer for our RESIDENTIAL customers to have your service replaced at no cost to you.  

With this offer, the MPWC will replace your service line with new copper piping from the curb into the house, but you must contact us immediately to avoid service interruption and to be scheduled for replacement before this offer expires.

If the MPWC terminates your service for non-compliance, your account will be subject to additional fees.