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Add as a preferred sourceThe Rockaway Township Water Utility has received an award from the New Jersey Water Association, according to Brian Shatzel, the Township’s Superintendent of the Utility.
“Last week, I was honored to receive an award from the NJWater Association for the Rockaway Township Water Utility,” Shatzel wrote in a public LinkedIn post on Oct. 17, 2026. “The Utility has come a long way since I took over, but this wouldn’t have been possible without the support of my Employees, and all the hard work they do every day, and the Mayor, Council and Administration for supporting us and giving us the funds and tools to invest into the system.”
The post did not name the specific award. The association held its 2026 Annual Management and Technical Conference on Oct. 7 and 8 at Harrah’s Resort in Atlantic City, and its published agenda lists awards during the lunch hour on both days.
Who runs the utility
Shatzel is listed as Superintendent of the Utility on the Township’s Water and Sewer Utility staff directory, with Dennis Crothers as Assistant Superintendent. The utility operates the Township’s water and sewer system. Residents with water or sewer questions can find the utility’s office contacts on that directory page.
A year of attention for the utility
The award follows other recognition of the utility’s workers this year. In February, the Township Council approved naming the water utility building the “Stalter Reidel” Building in honor of longtime supervisors George Reidel and Tom Stalter, The Citizen of Morris County reported. “This building dedication is for the guys that worked at the Water Utility that have worked through holidays, birthdays, and in the middle of a snow storm,” Public Works Director Al Knoth said at the time.
The Township water utility serves Rockaway Township only. Rockaway Borough is a separate municipality with its own Borough Water Utility.
Related coverage: Rockaway Township Raises Water and Sewer Rates, First Increase Since 2014 and Rockaway Township Water Main Work on North Lake Shore Drive June 1, 2026.
