Physical Capital

Sustainable Hamilton
Building Support for Sustainable Community Capital

A Community Commons for Sustainability Programs, Events, and Ideas

Physical Capital: Infrastructure and Public Spaces

Improving physical capital includes focusing on community assets such as public facilities (e.g., hospitals and schools), water and sanitation, efficient transportation, safe, quality housing, adequate infrastructure, and telecommunications.

Mark Roseland, "Toward Sustainable Communities" (2005)

We have broken all of these down to two basic categories

Infrastructure and all the agencies that support it

Public Spaces, including and especially parks. In addition to Veterans Park, Kuser Mansion, and Sayen Gardens, Hamilton has over 30 small and medium sized neighborhood parks. Parks are our most important public spaces, adding to - or taking from - both economic value and quality of community life.

Infrastructure

Physical Capital starts with infrastructure. Without infrastructure, communities simply don't function.

Hamilton's infrastructure includes

Energy production facilities and power lines

Streets, roads, parking facilities, and sidewalks

Streetlights and street signs

Telephone lines and cell towers

Water supply

Water quality, storm drains, sanitary sewers

Waste management facilities

Here are some of the the public and private agencies that support our infrastructure. And take a look at some of the Ideas for Infrastructure and Public Space at the bottom of the page.

Hamilton Township Department of Public Works - Division of Roads

The Division of Roads is responsible for the maintenance and repair of all roads and drain covers (not drains) in the township.

Storm Drains and Sanitary Sewers

Stormwater management is a major issue for Hamilton. Our storm drains have been badly neglected and their restoration will require several million dollars.

New Jersey's Department of Environmental Protection regulates the maintenance of municipal storm drains. The Department has published a 2004-2008 summary report on the condition of New Jersey's municipal storm drains.

DEP's Division of Watershed Management also has outreach and education programs about Stormwater Management.

Hamilton Township Department of Water Pollution Control

The Hamilton Township Department of Water Pollution Control (WPC) operates a regional wastewater treatment facility with a capacity of 16 million gallons per day (MGD) and an average daily flow of 9.2 MGD. The Utility has been in operation for 71 years and is currently serving over 92,000 residents from three municipalities with a collection system containing 389 miles of sewer lines and 39 pumping stations in its 45 square mile service area.

Hamilton Township DWPC not only operates our Water Pollution Control plant and 39 pumping stations, but also takes care of our storm drains and sanitary sewers. Drain covers are the responsibility of the Division of Roads.

To report a clogged storm drain or sanitary sewer, call 609 581-4140 or 609 581-4141.

Additional Water Quality information

The US Environmental Protection Administration's Safe Drinking Water System also has information about local water quality. The State of New Jersey Bureau of Safe Water, at (609) 292-5550, also has recent (not necessarily current) information about water quality in Hamilton.

Water supply

Most of us get our water from either Aqua New Jersey or Trenton Water Works. Some residents who live east of Route 130 get their water from wells.

Aqua New Jersey

Aqua New Jersey is one of the two companies supplying water to Hamilton. Aqua supplies water to Hamilton Square, Mercerville and Yardville areas of Hamilton Township, and the Robbinsville and Windsor areas of Robbinsville Township.

Aqua's water comes through the Trenton Water Works' water treatment plants, and originates from 13 wells in the Potomac-Raritan-Magothy aquifer and unconfined Vincentown aquifer.

For water emergencies, and for the most recent water quality reports, contact Aqua New Jersey at (877) WTR-AQUA or (877) 987-2782.

Trenton Water Works

Trenton Water Works supplies water to those Hamilton residents who are not served by Aqua New Jersey. In fact, Trenton Water Works is the original supplier for the water that is sold through Aqua.

For water emergencies, and for the most recent water quality reports, contact Trenton Water Works at (609) 989-3208.

PUBLIC SPACES

Our public spaces are far more extensive than many of us may recognize. In addition to libraries and parks, we have school auditoriums, civic centers and facilities owned by lodges and houses of worship.

Hamilton Free Public Library

The Hamilton Free Public Library is one of the largest municipal libraries in New Jersey, with special programs for Seniors, the disabled and children.

The Hamilton Free Public Library has meeting rooms that community groups can reserve.

Mercer County Public Llbrary

Hamilton residents can also use the Mercer County Library System for an annual fee of $75.00 ($10.00 for Senior Citizens).

Every branch of the Mercer County Library has meeting rooms that community groups can reserve.

Parks

You can find a list of Hamilton's parks on the Township website. Parks are among Hamilton's greatest - and most threatened - physical assets. We have a discussion of our parks on our blog. Take a look, add your comments, and send us your thoughts about how we can make our parks all they can be.

Ideas for Infrastructure and Public Space

We could learn a lot, adopt a lot, and adapt a lot from what other cities and towns are doing. This is a rolling section of ideas that we hope you can add to.

Sustainable street lighting can save money. A LOT of money.

Street lighting is one of the biggest line items in most municipal budgets.

Here's how New York City is transitioning to sustainable LED street lighting that saves money AND provides better light.

Can a parking lot be green?

Know the difference between a parking lot that adds to groundwater pollution and one that doesn't?

Here's an article that describes the difference.

Here's another on Green Design for parking lots.

Solar and wind powered street lights might save even more.

Here's an innovative street lighting idea now being marketed in Canada. Easy to site, cheap to install, even cheaper to operate.

Turning shopping mall roofs into parks? Already being done.

Can we design enclosed and "Big-Box" malls to included rooftop parks? Here are some innovative ideas from the Trust for Public Land for fiding parkland where others see only black tar roofs.