TFTT Report
Long Hill, NJ Reverses Water System Decision After Getting a Taste of Activist Reality
Truth from the Tap’s latest case study on Long Hill, New Jersey details the township’s experience after listening to activist misinformation about water company solutions and being left with inadequate options to address their water system needs.
In 2017, activists used scare tactics to defeat a referendum that would have authorized the township to transfer its sewer system to a water company. The proposed solution would have brought many benefits, including stable sewer rates, millions in infrastructure investment, and municipal debt payoff. Food & Water Watch promised undefined “alternatives” and “other options,” but the reality was quite different. Just two years later, the community voted overwhelmingly – by a wide 2-to-1 margin – to transfer its sewer system to a water company.
The bottom line is that activists peddle empty rhetoric, not proven solutions, and often leave communities with insufficient options to address water infrastructure needs. The experience in Long Hill should serve as a cautionary tale for communities across the country.
