2019 Work Plan Items:

• Advance water and sewer affordability for low-income customers by:
  • Finalizing and issuing a white paper with a menu of state policy options to ensure affordability;
  • Establishing a consensus methodology for measuring affordability issues, using it to assess New Jersey communities, and issuing a report on the benchmark findings.
• Issue a baseline assessment of drinking water utility capital investments in New Jersey.
• Review and issue comments on state government proposals, including New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection guidance for stormwater utilities, efforts to require asset
  management for wastewater systems, and Water Quality Accountability Act recommendations.
• Recommend, in partnership with industry groups, level-of-service goals for use with asset management programs.
• Represent Jersey Water Works and promote its work at industry and partner conferences and workshops, in coordination with backbone staff.

2019 Accomplishments:

• Published a white paper on policy options for improving water and wastewater affordability for low-income customers.
• Conducted a study of capital investment by drinking water utilities statewide.
• Sent recommendations to the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection for Water Quality Accountability Act reporting, in partnership with the American Water Works Association.

2019 Work Plan Items:

• Host or participate in two events to promote water workforce development, such as running facility tours, career days, or job fairs, and share supporting materials.
• Make existing informational resources on water infrastructure more accessible for residents and other stakeholders by creating a new Jersey Water Works website interface.
• Implement a pilot schools program in Robbinsville to educate grade-school students on water infrastructure and share lessons learned.
• Host or participate in at least two national water infrastructure awareness events such as Infrastructure Week and Imagine A Day Without Water, and amplify those efforts through Jersey Water Works’ communications platforms.

2019 Accomplishments:

• Produced a menu of action options for individuals and organizations to reinforce the efforts of Jersey Water Works.
• Raised awareness of water workforce opportunities on two tours of water treatment facilities.
• Promoted Infrastructure Week and Imagine A Day Without Water by hosting a workshop on an Applicants Guide for the New Jersey Water Bank, providing tours of wastewater treatment plants, and conducting a social media campaign.

2019 Work Plan Items:

• Work with U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to create and promote a Green Streets handbook for New Jersey communities.
• Recommend revisions to Sustainable Jersey’s Complete Street Actions to include green stormwater management.
• Recommend policies to the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection regarding reasonable use of green infrastructure within Green Acres-restricted parks.
• Issue recommendations, based on a national review of best practices, for New Jersey stormwater utilities to create green infrastructure incentive programs.
• Continue the Green Infrastructure Champions program by making training broadly accessible through webinars and the development of a “train the trainer” program.
• Establish a process to solicit and share New Jersey green infrastructure projects and case studies to include in existing green infrastructure inventories.

2019 Accomplishments:

• Worked with New Jersey Department of Transportation and other partners to develop a new Complete and Green Streets policy that includes language for health, equity, and green infrastructure.
• Conducted nine Green Infrastructure Champions workshops in partnership with Rutgers Water Resources program and established an advisory committee.
• Conducted a national survey of stormwater utility incentive programs for green infrastructure.

2019 Work Plan Items:

• Maximize the impact of the CSO Committee’s reports Balancing Green and Gray Solutions to CSO Management and Hidden Capacity: How Proper Maintenance and Cleaning of Sewer
  Systems Can Have Huge Benefits! through promotion and active distribution of the documents to stakeholders including New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), CSO supplemental teams, and others.
• Assist CSO municipalities and utilities with resource gaps by providing technical assistance, resource sharing, or other means.
• Review the Development and Evaluation of Alternatives reports due to DEP on July 1 and develop a summary document highlighting:
  • Consideration of green and gray infrastructure;
  • Consideration of community input;
  • A list of the alternatives considered in each report with descriptive information on their review; and
  • Innovative ideas.
• Share with CSO permit holders next-tier opportunities related to CSO mitigation, such as integrated planning, increased community engagement, workforce development with green infrastructure, odor control best practices, and the CSO/climate connection.

2019 Accomplishments:

• Produced a summary of Development and Evaluation of Alternatives Reports that CSO permit holders submitted to the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection.
• Created an assessment of access to water workforce jobs for low-income communities and communities of color affected by CSOs.
• Gave multiple presentations at industry events on technical research conducted by the committee.