Coastal communities and communities with combined sewer systems can be quickly overwhelmed by flooding from major weather events. “During a high tide or storm surge, the water level of the Hudson River can rise above the level of the combined sewer outfalls,” Jennifer Gonzalez, director of Hoboken’s Department of Environmental Services, said at a press conference before Tropical Storm Isaias. “As a result, the river traps the water inside the sewer system and it backs up into the system and onto our streets.”

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Governor Murphy released a revised budget proposal for FY 2021 on August 25. The funding for the clean water and drinking water programs is to ensure safe and modern water infrastructure statewide.

BPU regulated water, gas, and electric utilities agreed to extend the moratorium on shutoffs to October 15. Residential and commercial customers will have an extended Deferred Payment Agreement of 12-24 months with no down payments.

The North Hudson Sewerage Authority submitted two draft Long Term Control Plans to DEP in advance of the October 1 deadline for their treatment plants—Adams Street and River Road. See a review of these plans from the Sewage-Free Streets and Rivers Campaign.

On July 29, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency issued a final rule to reduce the amount of lead in plumbing materials used in public water systems, homes, schools, and other facilities from 8% to 0.25%. EPA sent the final Lead and Copper Rule to the Office of Management and Budget for review. The final rule will be effective 30 days after publication in the Federal Register and the certification requirement must be implemented within three years.

What’s in your water? A new dashboard will help you find out. This blog post describes the upcoming release of the JWW data dashboard, Jersey WaterCheck. Jersey WaterCheck will be the first time data on water infrastructure from multiple sources will come together in one place to tell the story of New Jersey’s water and sewer systems.

New Jersey communities in Hoboken, Highland Park, and Camden planned and implemented recent street projects and showed promising benefits utilizing green street design elements. The JWW Green Infrastructure Committee and EPA Region 2 highlight how green streets can provide environmental, public health, social, and economic benefits in three case studies.

The JWW CSO Committee, Newark DIG, and the Sewage-Free Streets and Rivers Campaign facilitated a second Long Term Control Plan review workshop on August 18 to help prepare stakeholders to engage in the LTCP review process. Public engagement to inform equitable solutions in CSO communities is essential for LTCP review.

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New Jersey Future is looking for a skilled, organized, motivated individual to launch and manage the day-to-day operations of Lead-Free New Jersey, a new collaborative forming to ensure lead-free children through changes to state and local policies. The successful candidate must be committed to environmental and social justice, be skilled in policy advocacy, and understand community organizing. 

New Jersey Future launched the Stormwater Utility Resource Center. The website, designed for municipal and county officials and utilities, offers information and tools to affordably and effectively establish a stormwater utility in your community. 

This report from Texas Living Waters Project, Ensuring One Water Delivers for Healthy Waterways, establishes a framework for using a One Water approach to use water efficiently and support communities in assessing how their water use affects the health of waterways.

The American Society of Civil Engineers and the Value of Water Campaign released a report, The Economic Benefits of Investing in Water Infrastructure, detailing the national economic cost if current investment trends in the nation’s water infrastructure continue. It explores the economic benefits from fully funding the nation’s water infrastructure needs.

Jersey Water Works is a collaborative effort working to transform New Jersey's inadequate water infrastructure through sustainable, cost-effective solutions that provide communities with clean water and waterways; healthier, safer neighborhoods; local jobs; flood and climate resilience; and economic growth.

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