Water Conservation Urged for Some in Lawrence Twp.

Lawrence Township this afternoon (Monday, Aug. 29) issued the following advisory for residents and business owners in the northern part of town who are served by New Jersey American Water:

New Jersey American Water’s Raritan Millstone Plant in Bridgewater, Somerset County, has lost power and is running off of a limited supply of emergency power. High flood waters have prevented electric utility workers from reaching the inside of the plant or from working just outside of the plant to reconnect electric service. Company officials have been working with PSE&G, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection and the State Police to devise a plan to restore power to the Raritan Millstone Plant. The Company’s Canal Road Water Treatment Plant, in nearby Somerset can serve as a backup if power resumption to the Raritan Millstone Plant is delayed.

New Jersey American Water is asking all its customers to reduce or limit as much water as possible while the Company works to restore the plant, as well as other facilities in its service areas. Customers should limit all water uses and refrain from any nonessential uses of water to best conserve water. Recovery to normal operations could take several days and customer conservation will be necessary until further notice. Commercial customers should also reduce their water use where possible.