Sides try to work out water-sewer billing issue Howell officials attempting to serve as mediators BY LARRY HLAVENKA JR. Staff Writer The parties involved in a battle over water bills have met several times to try to address a situation that Howell homeowners believe is unfair. According to Howell Township Manager Thomas Czerniecki, three meetings have taken place with representatives of the Lennar Corporation, the New Jersey-Amer-ican Water Company and the state Board of Public Utilities to discuss the issue. In addition, Czerniecki said an ordinance is in the works to prevent similar issues from arising in the future. The topic has received attention from the Township Council in recent months after residents who live in The Reserve at the Manasquan River development spoke out publicly about what they said were excessively high water and sewer bills. The Reserve at the Manasquan River is a Lennar development on Route 524 in the Adelphia section of Howell, across the street from the Surrey Downs adult community. Houses are priced from about $680,000 in the development. Many residents of The Reserve have received a quarterly water and sewer bill from New Jersey-American that exceeds $1,000. Residents say the irrigation systems that were installed in their new homes and were used frequently to water the sod are at the root of the problem. The residents said they have been told by New Jersey-American that the water and sewer charges are based on water consumption and there is little they can do other than to install a water meter that would separate the water being used in the irrigation system. The extra meter would cost about $2,300, they said. Under the present billing system, all of the water that goes through the line of each home in The Reserve also incurs a sewer charge from New Jersey-American, even if some of that water never enters the sewer system (i.e., it is only used to water the grass). A company spokesperson previously explained that a separate irrigation system would not incur sewer charges. The residents have said that after corresponding with Lennar, they believe the builder is negligent for not providing the separate meter, an auxiliary water line or a well. Czerniecki said several meetings have taken place "as part of the puzzle of trying to resolve this issue." The meetings have focused on the same theme, he said. "The message to all three entities (Lennar, New Jersey-American and the BPU) was you have in the neighborhood of 82 homes that were given an irrigation system and they're being charged for something they're not using (the sewer fee for water that does not go into a sewer). No one is committing to [a resolution] but we are making it clear what our intentions are." Howell officials and state Assemblyman Joseph R. Malone (R-Monmouth, Ocean, Burlington, Mercer) have taken an active role in attempting to address the situation. "Assemblyman Malone has been a great help to this community," Czerniecki said. "We're limited in areas of what we can force [the companies] to do, but we are leaning heavily on their sense of fairness." Rob Nicastro, who lives in The Reserve and has championed his neighbors' cause, said the meetings, at the very least, have gathered all sides at the table. "We're making progress," he said. "Negotiations are in the works. At this time I'm optimistic that something will get done. I'm pleased that at least negotiations are taking place." Nicastro also thanked Malone. "He has been so instrumental in this," Nicastro said. Czerniecki said the next step will be to get representatives of Lennar and New Jersey-American to discuss technical issues and to continue working to address the residents' concerns. Nicastro said that remains important, so the companies can reach a solution. "We have to bridge Lennar and New Jersey-American," he said. In an attempt to prevent these types of issues from arising in the future, Czerniecki said an ordinance that would require full disclosure from the developer to home buyers regarding water rates and irrigation systems is being crafted. Czerniecki said Howell officials cannot adopt an ordinance that requires an auxiliary water line for an irrigation system, since not every area of Howell has a sewer system. However, the ordinance can place the burden of informing home buyers of what they are getting into on developers. The manager said the ordinance may come before the council in January. In the meantime, Czerniecki said in home applications that include an irrigation system, a flier has been drafted for the developer's review. The flier states a developer must certify that residents have been made aware of the irrigation system issue. The flier has been placed in packets sent to developers.