Water/Sewer Department

PAY YOUR WATER BILL ONLINE BY CLICKING HERE

For questions regarding your water bill, call the Tax Department at 856-854-0720 and press 1
To view Collingswood's Water Quality Reports visit the Document Center here.
Read about the Collingswood/MPWC water shared service in the Mayor's Blog here.

To Report a Stoppage
To report a sewer stoppage during regular hours (Monday through Friday 7am to 3pm) please call 856-858-0533. During off hours, weekends or holidays, please call 856-854-1900.

For more information on using the Total Maximum Daily Load Tool to assess your community’s surface water please visit https://www.nj.gov/dep/dwq/msrp-tmdl-rh.htm

Water Supply System
The Borough of Collingswood supplies drinking water to Collingswood, Woodlynne and a portion of Haddon Township. Our service area covers approximately 50 linear miles of water mains ranging from 4 inches to 16inches with 6,000 active service connections serving approximately 21,000 people. The Borough of Collingswood complies with all of the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities meter testing regulations.

The Borough currently obtains its entire water supply from seven ground water wells drilled and sunk into the Raritan Aquifer throughout the Borough. Five of the wells pump untreated water to our main treatment plant at Highland & Hillcrest Avenue through a network of underground pipes. Two additional wells located at Comly & Cattell Avenues pump untreated water to our treatment plant at Comly Avenue. The water is purified at both plants and delivered to our customers.

As of January 2021, the NJDEP requires the monitoring of water systems to ensure that levels of PFOA remain within the state’s new rigorous standards. Among the first in the nation to address the issue of PFOA in water, NJ’s new standards improve water quality and lessen health issues associated with PFOAs.

Collingswood will adopt a new filtration method at the Comly Ave treatment plant that maintains the Borough’s water quality within state guidelines. For more information on PFOAs please visit our FAQ page here. The Borough will continue to share updates and more information as this project progresses.

The Sewer Department
The Borough maintains the wastewater collection system, which includes all underground sanitary and storm sewer lines. We also maintain two pumping stations.

Hydrant Flushing
Collingswood periodically conducts hydrant flushing in the Borough. The water main flushing program is designed to remove natural minerals like iron and calcium that sometimes collect in the bottom of water mains. This operation may cause a temporary discoloration in your water supply. By allowing your water to run for a short period of time, the problem should clear itself. Please be assured, although the water may be discolored, it is safe for human use. 

Please see the Fall 2023 flushing schedule here.

Our treatment facilities consist of:
-Aeration: The process of bringing water and air into contact in order to remove dissolved gases which may be corrosive to our water supply.
-Sedimentation: The process of removing suspended matters such as iron and manganese by gravity settling.
-Filtration: Removing almost all suspended matter that remains by passing the water through a sand medium.
-Corrosion Control: The addition of a zinc phosphate to control scaling and deposits formation on water lines.
-Air Stripping: A tower aerator consisting of a cylindrical tank filled with a packing material. Water is distributed over the material at the top of the tank while air is forced through the bottom using a blower. The primary purpose of air stripping is to remove all traces of Volatile Organic Compounds.
-Disinfection: Chlorine is added as the final treatment before entering the water distribution system.

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FAQs
How do I protect my water pipes from freezing?
The Borough of Collingswood Water Department would like to share some basic tips to help protect meters and pipes throughout the winter.
-Make sure the water meter is protected from freezing conditions. If it is located in an unheated area, cover it with an insulating material to avoid freezing and possible breakage.
-Close the stop and waste valves on outside faucets. The valves are located near the faucet on the inside basement wall. After the valve is closed tightly, drain the outside piping and remove any hose from the outside faucets.
-Insulate pipes located in or near outside walls, in the basement and in the garage. Repair any cracks or broken windows in the basement to further safeguard against freezing.
-If a pipe does freeze, you can use a hair dryer or heating pad to thaw it slowly. NEVER USE AN OPEN FLAME. Another alternative is to wrap a cloth around the frozen pipe and soak it repeatedly with hot water. If after a reasonable period of time, these methods fail, call your plumber.
-Locate and mark the master shutoff valve and be prepared to turn it off in case a water line burst. This valve, typically a wheel type valve, is usually located were the water pipe enters your home or dwelling near your inside water meter. Mark it with a tag, a bright ribbon or colorful paint. Make it easy to see. If the worst happens-and we hope it never does-youíll have to find it quickly.

Why do I pay two sewer bills?
One of the most frequently asked questions presented to the Collingswood Sewer Department is, “Why do we get two sewer bills?” To answer that in a nutshell, one of the bills is for local sewer department (Borough of Collingswood) and the other is for the regional county authority. Let us explain a bit. In the late 1980s, Collingswood was required to tie into the newly constructed Camden County regional system, which diverted our wastewater to a main plant in Camden. Our local plant was phased out. However, the task of maintaining our own street mains and pumping stations remained ours - the CCMUA simply treats the sewage. The fee paid to the Borough of Collingswood is utilized for the maintenance of our system and related facilities and upkeep and modernization of equipment. The fee paid to the CCMUA is for the treatment process of the sewage.
The Borough of Collingswood and the CCMUA are two totally different authorities and neither dictates to the other billing amounts or other procedures. We hope we have helped clarify some of the confusion regarding this question.

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LIHWAP: The State Low Income Household Water Assistance Program (LIHWAP) can help you pay arrears for your water and sewer bills. The program may also be able to help address tax liens due to water and sewer arrears. To get more information and apply, go to waterassistance.nj.gov or call NJ211.