The Lyndhurst Department of Public Works is currently under the direction of Commissioner Richard L. Jarvis, Sr. The department is managed by a superintendent and consists of 18 full time employees, 3 of which are clerical. The DPW consists of 4 departments; water, sewer, road, and shade tree. The township's engineering, recycling, and solid waste collection and disposal also fall under the Public Works. The DPW office is open Monday through Friday from 8:00AM to 4:00PM. The Department of Public Works has two employees on standby 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year, which covers from 4:00PM to 7:30AM. Under this, residents can call our Police Department's non-emergency number at 201-939-2900 to report a water or sewer problem. Anything from a leaking water meter, sewer backup, or water main break, our employees will work to alleviate the issue immediately.

 

Under the DPW, we own the infrastructure and water utility. The water is purchased in bulk by Passaic Valley Water Commission. The Township of Lyndhurst purchases between 900 and 950 million gallons of water yearly. The Water Department owns, operates, and maintains approximately 45 miles of distribution mains, 5,700 physical service connections, 1,000 main line valves, and 480 fire hydrants. Under the Water Department, yearly maintenance includes fire hydrant flushing in October and main line valve exercising during March and April. Throughout the year, the Water Department does extensive water quality testing as required by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) and the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP). The testing meets all health and safety standards set by these two agencies.

 

The Sewer Department is responsible for maintaining sewer mains, catch basins, manholes, and sewer laterals. The township has a total of 990 catch basins; of which 180 are Bergen County's, and 45 are the State of New Jersey's. There are 67 outfalls which help drainage to the Hackensack and Passaic Rivers. Within the town, we have a total of 3 sanitary pump stations and 1 storm water pump station. The sanitary pump stations that are located in the meadowlands, pump the sewerage to the joint station shared with North Arlington. All solids flow to Passaic Valley Sewerage Commission where it is properly treated. Pump station #1, located on Riverside Avenue, handles the western end of the township. All remaining, is gravity fed to the main sewer trunk on Riverside Avenue. All of these pump stations have been reconstructed and completed in 2013. All stations are now backup generated for any power outages. The storm water pump station #4, located at Tontine Avenue & Riverside Avenue, has been elevated, backup generated, and could pump out 36,000 gallons per minute, when needed. This will help alleviate any flooding due to heavy rain.

 

The Road Department works daily to maintain numerous things throughout the township's roads. The street sweeper does a daily route and works to keep the streets clean and free of any debris. It also does a night route once a week, which cleans the main roads. Under this department, employees also repair the roads, sidewalks (lifted by tree roots), and maintaining street signs. During the winter months, the streets are plowed and salted according to the weather.

 

The Township's Shade Tree Department trims, plants, removes, and stumps trees. On average, the department plants 50-75 trees per year which normally occurs in the spring and/or fall. Trees to be planted in the tree belt area are specifically selected for our environment and it's tolerance to our 4 seasons. The October Glory Maple has proved to uphold greatly throughout the township where they have been planted.

 

The recycling in Lyndhurst is picked up curbside weekly. This includes bottles and cans, and cardboard and paper. Seasonal pick-ups include grass, leaves, and yard waste. The Recycling Department also picks up appliances, electronics, and metal every week by appointment only on Fridays. Feel free to call our office at 201-438-5478 any time to schedule a pickup or request a work order to be made for a water, sewer, road, or shade tree inquiry.