A $58 million project to replace a 55-year-old wastewater treatment plant in Plainsboro has been completed, bringing new technology, increased treatment capacity and greater protection against flooding to a facility serving approximately 11,000 residents and businesses.
Veolia celebrated the completion of its Princeton Meadows Wastewater Treatment Facility at 31 Maple Avenue with a ribbon-cutting ceremony Wednesday, Oct. 7, marking the end of a multiyear construction project that began under the facility’s previous operator, Suez.
The new plant replaces infrastructure dating to 1971 and incorporates ultraviolet disinfection, improved biological treatment systems and energy-efficient equipment designed to meet increasingly stringent environmental standards.
One of the most significant changes is the plant’s location. The new facility was constructed on higher ground, outside the original plant’s 100-year floodplain, reducing the risk that flooding could disrupt wastewater treatment operations during severe storms.
The investment also continues a water recycling program that has supplied treated wastewater for irrigation at a Middlesex County golf course for more than five decades.
According to Veolia, the facility treats approximately 475 million gallons of wastewater annually, with about 32 million gallons of reclaimed water reused for irrigation. Since the program began in 1971, the site has provided approximately 1.4 billion gallons of recycled water.
The reclaimed water reduces the need to draw on other water supplies for irrigation, an increasingly important consideration as communities address water conservation and the effects of changing weather patterns.
“The original Princeton Meadows facility served the community well for more than five decades, but it was aging and located in a vulnerable floodplain,” said Kendra Morris, CEO of Veolia Regulated Water in North America.
“Rather than simply upgrade the existing plant, we reimagined it. This facility is designed to meet today’s needs, anticipate future environmental requirements and preserve our commitment to water reuse. Investing in infrastructure also means investing in the community.”
The project has been in development for more than six years.
In 2020, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection proposed an amendment to the Lower Raritan/Middlesex County Water Quality Management Plan that would allow the Princeton Meadows plant to increase its permitted wastewater treatment capacity from 1.64 million gallons per day to 1.7 million gallons.
The proposed increase was intended to accommodate anticipated wastewater flows while allowing the facility to meet more stringent limits on pollutants discharged into local waterways.
According to the DEP’s public notice, the plant discharges treated wastewater into an unnamed tributary of Cranbury Brook. The improvements were designed in part to meet regulatory requirements governing ammonia and total phosphorus, nutrients that can contribute to water quality problems when present in excessive concentrations.
The state’s proposal also indicated that the additional capacity would accommodate existing and future wastewater needs within the plant’s established service area, rather than expand that area.
Planning documents estimated that wastewater flows could reach approximately 1.693 million gallons per day with full development of the existing service area.
The plant’s treatment systems were originally constructed in 1971 and underwent upgrades in 1978 and 2003. By the time the latest project was proposed, much of the equipment had reached the end of its useful life.
Suez broke ground on the replacement project Dec. 1, 2021, when the estimated cost was $56 million.
At that time, company officials anticipated that the new facility would enter service in December 2024, with construction completed by the middle of 2025. The final cost announced by Veolia is $58 million, approximately $2 million above the original estimate.
Veolia subsequently assumed control of the operation following its acquisition of Suez’s businesses outside France, including its New Jersey water operations.
The project involved construction of a new treatment plant at the existing Maple Avenue property, rather than moving wastewater operations to an entirely different location.
State environmental permitting records show that the DEP approved wetlands-related permits for construction at the site in May 2021.
In addition to the improvements intended to protect the facility against flooding, the project incorporates equipment designed to improve the treatment of wastewater before it is discharged into the environment.
Ultraviolet disinfection uses ultraviolet light to inactivate microorganisms in treated water. Biological treatment processes use microorganisms to break down pollutants in wastewater.
The new facility also incorporates equipment designed to reduce energy consumption while maintaining treatment performance.
Durability was another consideration in the plant’s construction. According to a January 2025 announcement from construction-materials manufacturer Penetron, specialized waterproofing materials were incorporated into the facility’s concrete structures to protect against corrosion and chemical exposure.
The company said the materials were selected by project engineers at HDR Engineering to help extend the life of structures exposed to wastewater and the chemicals associated with its treatment.
The project was developed with engineering and construction partners including HDR and J. Fletcher Creamer & Son.
Nadege Petit, CEO of Veolia in North America, said the investment reflects the company’s efforts to modernize aging infrastructure while maintaining the site’s longstanding water recycling operations.
“This next-generation facility exemplifies Veolia’s commitment to environmental security, public health and sustainable infrastructure,” Petit said.
“It combines significant capital investment, advanced treatment technology and climate-resilient design to provide reliable service to the community for decades to come, while continuing our longstanding commitment to water reuse.”
The project’s completion comes as utilities throughout New Jersey face the challenge of replacing aging water and wastewater infrastructure while preparing for more frequent extreme weather events and increasingly demanding environmental regulations.
Veolia said the Plainsboro project is part of its broader GreenUp investment program, through which the company invests more than $150 million annually in New Jersey water infrastructure, water quality and reliability improvements.
The company provides water and wastewater services to approximately 1.1 million customers across New Jersey.
Representatives of the DEP, the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities, Middlesex County and Plainsboro Township attended the Oct. 7 ribbon-cutting ceremony, along with representatives of the companies involved in construction.
U.S. Sen. Andy Kim provided a Certificate of Congressional Recognition for the project, while the state Senate and General Assembly issued a joint resolution recognizing its completion.
Among those attending were Plainsboro Mayor Edmund Yates, Township Committeeman Neil Lewis, Committeewoman Rita Sherma, Assemblywoman Tennille McCoy, DEP Deputy Commissioner Joseph Seebode and several members of the state Board of Public Utilities.
Veolia also used the occasion to announce a $10,000 contribution to the Plainsboro Recreation Department’s Water Science & Sustainability Education Program.
The donation will support educational opportunities for local students to learn about water conservation, environmental protection and sustainability.
