Where the rivers meet
Manville sits at the confluence of the Raritan and Millstone rivers, and it has flooded again and again: Doria in 1971, Floyd in 1999, Irene in 2011, and Ida in 2021, when the Raritan reached a record 27.66 feet at Manville. Since 2010, nearly 150 homes have been elevated or bought out.
For the houses that remain, the basement plumbing takes the hit. We replace flooded water heaters, install and test sump pumps, add battery backups for when storms knock the power out, and clear drains and sewer laterals that silt and debris have blocked. See our sump pump page.
Old houses, old pipes
Manville was built around the Johns-Manville plant and incorporated in 1929. The median home dates from 1956, and nearly nine in ten were built before 1980. Many still have galvanized steel supply lines, which rust from the inside and cut water pressure, and cast-iron drains that crack with age. When leaks keep showing up, repiping is often the better fix.
Sewer lines
New Jersey American Water completed its purchase of Manville's sewer collection system on November 1, 2024 and committed to at least $10 million in improvements. The lateral from your house to the main is still yours. If your basement drain backs up, we camera the line to find out why.
