A new water tower under construction on Albert E. Clifton Avenue may be completed by the end of October.

When it's done, the new tower and the borough's three other water tanks will contain a day's supply of water for the town, which is a requirement of the state Department of Environmental Protection's Water Supply Management Act, said borough Public Works Director Bob Forsyth.

The requirement insures that towns will have at least a day's worth of water in case a calamity causes pumps not to work, or if there is a large fire, or another type of problem.

The new tower does enable the borough to better fight a large fire, he said.

"The more water you have up there, the better off you are," Forsyth said on Tuesday.

The tower, which is about 155 feet high, replaces one that was taken down last year and will hold 500,000 gallons, said Forsyth, who became the new Public Works Director on Aug. 1.

On Tuesday, Forsyth said the steel work may be finished within two weeks and then painting can begin.

"We hope the painting can be done by the end of October," he said. "We're hoping the painting can be finished before the weather gets cold."

The type of paint used on the tower will not dry or adhere properly if the weather is cold, he said.

The new tower, near the borough Public Works Department, is being paid for through a $1.8 million bond, he said.

There is also a tank by Firehouse #1 on Memorial Drive next to the Route 88 bridge and one by Riviera Parkway. Each holds 500,000 gallons.

The town's fourth tank is a ground storage tank on Hardenburg Avenue, which also holds 500,000 gallons, and requires that water be pumped out of it. It has a generator so it can still be used during a power failure, Forsyth said.

For the past 20 years, Forsyth had been the borough's supervisor of the water and sewer system in the public works department.