njfheadshotlow-rez-18346-e1688586849353

Policy Coordinator

Zeke Weston

Gary-Brune

Policy Manager

Gary Brune

Dunkak-1-206×300

Policy and Program Coordinator

Patricia Dunkak

DC headshot

Deandrah Cameron

Headshot-Kim-Irby

Kimberley Irby

Paula-Figueroa-Vega-scaled-e1593448221364

Director, Jersey Water Works Collaborative and Organizational Development

Paula Figueroa-Vega

staff_njf_mo

Community Outreach Manager

Mo Kinberg

AndreaSapal-263×300

Program Coordinator

Andrea Sapal

Jyoti-headshot

Director of Collaborations & Organizational Equity

Jyoti Venketraman

Environmental Specialist

Alaina Ungarini

Director

Laura Norkute

Director of Policy and Advocacy

Matthew Hersh

Michele Langa

Director of the Urban Mayors Policy Center

Tenisha Malcolm

President and CEO

Ruth Ann Norton

Policy Director

Diane Schrauth

Program Manager

Heather Sorge

Donald Shields

Patricia Lindsay Harvey

Russ Dudley

Kendra Morris

Manager

Zach Green

Assistant Director

Tiffany Stewart**

Julia Cavalier

Stephanie Corso, CPC

Richard Calbi Jr. P.E., P.P.

Glenn Barnes

Scientist (retired)

Robert Tucker

Jim Nelson

Former Mayor

Dawn Zimmer**

Program Officer

Lupe Flores

Associate Professor of Practice for Water, Society and the Environment

Dan Van Abs

Watershed Scientist – Groundwater

Mara Tippett

Community Organizer

Shereyl Snider

Director, Trenton Water Works (served until Sept. 13, 2019)

Shing-Fu Hsueh

Vice President of Operations

Tom Shroba

Senior Director of Environmental Health Policy

Elyse Pivnick

Executive Director

Doug O’Malley

Managing Director / Senior Fellow

Andy Kricun

Bureau Chief

Michael Kammer

State Director

Amy Goldsmith

Owner

Michael Furrey

Senior Policy Analyst

Peter Chen

Laureen Boles

General Supervisor of Water

Jeffrey Baig

Kareem Adeem

Kevin Whitney

Daniel J. Van Abs Ph.D., PP/FAICP

Wynnie-Fred Victor Hinds

Untitled

Bernadette M. Sohler

Chris Obropta

Bill Cesanek

Rosana Pedra Nobre

Lester Taylor

Christine Ballard

Kareen Adeem

larry-levine

Larry Levine

dan-kennedy

Dan Kennedy

The Watershed Institute and New Jersey Future&#8217;s Mainstreaming Green Infrastructure (MGI) program will be updating their enhanced model Stormwater Control Ordinances (SCOs) and providing municipalities with supporting guidance to update their own local SCOs. This will help communities meet the requirements of NJDEP&#8217;s newly effective Inland Flood Protection Rule while simultaneously gaining Sustainable Jersey action points.

In 2024, Ridgewood Water will continue to support the JWW Lead Service Line Implementation Workgroup and share experiences on our path towards completing the following:
<ol>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Replace another 150 Main to Curb service lines.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Complete a comprehensive inventory by identifying remaining unknowns though Hydro-Excavation, In-home Inspections, or Customer Surveys.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Achieving final approval on ordinances and shared service agreements with all 4-towns serviced by the utility.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Completing a comprehensive Lead Service Line Replacement Plan and new public facing Website Landing Page.</li>
</ol>

Moonshot Missions&#8217; goal for 2024 is to assist at least 100 underserved, environmental justice communities with drinking water and clean water challenges.

ANJEC will collaborate with strategic partners to advance water quality improvements by educating local officials about the forthcoming NJPACT regulations on state stormwater requirements pending New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection adoption of Phase 2 rule revisions.

The ACUA is partnering with PolyGone, a startup created by Princeton University graduates, to remove microplastics from treated wastewater at its wastewater treatment facility in Atlantic City, New Jersey. A microplastic filtration system, known as the “Artificial Root,” will be installed to capture particles before the treated wastewater is released into the ocean. The pilot project will be the first of its kind and, if successful, can be replicated at other treatment facilities.

ACUA will partner in a ground-breaking green hydrogen project that will generate hydrogen from wastewater effluent at ACUA’s treatment facility in Atlantic City. The process will be fully powered by the five existing wind turbines located on-site. Once created, the hydrogen will be dispersed into the natural gas pipeline and used to power a newly developed heavy duty fuel-cell truck. ACUA intends to use the oxygen by-product of the process in its aeration basins at the treatment facility. The project has received $3.8 million in funding from the U.S. Department of Energy and will require an additional $1 million investment from its partners.

Camden Community Partnership commits to guiding the creation of public art centered on discussions around flooding in Camden. Works such as illustrative temporary sidewalk decals around rain gardens will draw attention and link people walking by to the Camden Community Partnership website to learn more about the artists’ messages, flooding in Camden, and ways to get involved in water equity in Camden.

Clean Water Action and the Clean Water Fund will launch community outreach and lead service line replacement signup efforts in selected communities statewide with a focus on homes where infants, children, and pregnant women are living. They hope to build on successes of the Trenton area &#8220;Upstream-Downstream Storm Water&#8221; initiative, and to train and create a new generation of water advocates.

Lead-Free NJ will add a community hub in Essex County and work with the hubs, partners, and members to educate the public about lead hazards and work to secure funding for holistic lead remediation. The recently launched Water Advocacy Committee will continue to convene an open space to investigate lead in drinking water issues and supplement the policy work of the Jersey Water Works Lead in Drinking Water Taskforce. Lead-Free NJ will strengthen its partnership with EPA Accelerator City Trenton and Trenton Water Works in collaboration with the Trenton Hub to support the replacement of lead service lines.

Lead-Free NJ will add a fourth community hub in South Jersey and work with the hubs, partners, and members to educate the public about lead hazards and work to secure funding for holistic lead remediation.

Moonshot Missions was selected by the USEPA to serve as a &#8220;National Center for Utility Excellence &#8221; for a five-year period.  Moonshot will work with water and wastewater utilities, especially those in lower income, environmental justice communities, to promote best operational practices and assist in identifying funding for capital infrastructure needs.

New Jersey Future will work with state and national partners to identify and engage overburdened localities and water utilities in need of assistance to access state and federal water infrastructure funding.  NJF will share tools and resources, partner training programs, and provide technical assistance.

New Jersey LCV Education Fund leads Flood Defense NJ, a coalition of non-profit advocates working to establish New Jersey’s first active stormwater utilities. The coalition aims to have at least two municipalities served by a stormwater utility in 2024 by providing technical support for target communities, designing educational forums to build public support, and engaging in grassroots organizing to establish local political will.

New Jersey LCV and Waterspirit will continue to offer support to combined sewer overflow (CSO) and flood-prone communities through on-the-ground outreach and educational sessions on stormwater management tactics and funding opportunities.

The New York-New Jersey Harbor &amp; Estuary Program (HEP) commits to supporting green infrastructure design and community engagement and outreach in Perth Amboy and Newark partnering with Perth Amboy Stormwater Infrastructure Management (SWIM), Newark Doing Infrastructure Green (DIG), NY/NJ Baykeeper, and Rutgers Cooperative Extension Water Resources Program. This will help to advance installation of green infrastructure projects, support Long Term Control Plans, manage stormwater runoff, address flooding in communities, and improve water quality in the Harbor Estuary.

The New York-New Jersey Harbor &amp; Estuary Program and the Hudson River Foundation will advance understanding and consideration of water quality in the analysis of hazard mitigation and coastal resilience projects by issuing a Request for Proposals (RFP). This opportunity will provide grants to support monitoring/data collection, planning, workforce training, and/or community engagement activities in climate resiliency initiatives that would address stormwater management, water quality issues, advance resiliency, and build community capacity.

The New York-New Jersey Harbor &amp; Estuary Program, Rutgers University, and Princeton Hydro will advance its initiative to assess road-stream crossings for aquatic passage and climate readiness. Efforts include identifying and pursuing priorities for improvements and communicating to stakeholders through planning. A conceptual plan will be developed for a pilot site in Middlesex County along with a toolkit of restoration scenarios.

RES commits to increasing the number of wetland acres we build by 25%, increasing miles of streambank restoration by 30%, and doubling the gallons of stormwater currently managed in the state of New Jersey.

In partnership with the four municipalities served by Ridgewood Water, the utility will manage the Lead Service Line Replacement Program.  Over 2000 utility and privately owned service lines will be replaced.  Ridgewood Water will use this experience to assist the JWW Lead Service Line Implementation Workgroup develop resources for all NJ utilities to comply with the statutory goal of replacing all lead service lines.

Sewage-Free Streets and Rivers (SFSR) will offer combined sewer overflow (CSO) permit review workshops in early 2023 to help overburdened community members understand and advocate for finalized 5-year permits that meet high standards, align with community values and local impact and prioritize green solutions.

With support from New Jersey American Water, Sustainable Jersey has committed to a second round of direct technical assistance to a municipality for completing its Municipal Water Story action. The completion of this action results in a holistic understanding of a town&#8217;s water infrastructure, water governance, and water resources, as well as the identification of local water issues.

The Town of Kearny recently approved a $4 million bond for water infrastructure, awarded a contract for $5,435,377 to resurface 19 blocks, inventory 919 drinking water services and replace all lead service lines.  The Mayor and Town Council approved an ordinance to replace all lead service lines and authorized the reimbursement of all &#8220;reasonable expenses&#8221; by homeowners who replace their own lead service lines.  Finally, the Town awarded a contract for $2,533,300 to rehabilitate the Harrison Avenue Wet Weather Pump Station.

ANJEC will work with strategic partners to advance improvements in water quality by educating local officials about the forthcoming NJPACT regulations on state stormwater requirements pending New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection adoption of Phase 2 rule revisions.

New Jersey Future will support Clean Water Action to conduct a series of &#8220;Upstream/Downstream&#8221; workshops and watershed tours to understand local stormwater issues in and around Trenton.

In collaboration with the United Way of Northern NJ and Isles, Inc., New Jersey Future will support a pilot program to eliminate lead exposure from paint and drinking water at family child care centers in Warren County, Gloucester County, and Jersey City. New Jersey Future will intercede with the affected water utilities to test the water, prioritize the replacement of any lead service lines, and provide certified filters, as required. Isles, Inc. will handle removal of any lead paint, using State resources provided through the Department of Community Affairs. New Jersey Future will publicize the effort, providing positive public relations for the water utilities and raising public awareness.

New York-New Jersey HEP and its partners will develop briefs and stories about water quality conditions of individual waterways and watersheds throughout the estuary into easily digestible, locally relevant information as a communications tool.

The Rutgers Cooperative Extension Water Resources Program will offer the <a href="http://water.rutgers.edu/Projects/GreenInfrastructureChampions/GIC.html">Green Infrastructure (GI) Champions training program</a> in Jan. 2022. Over 200 GI Champions have been certified over the last three years. A group of certified GI Champions are working closely with the Rutgers Water Resources Program to pilot a Youth GI Champions Program for middle and high school students in 2022.

The Sewage-Free Streets and Rivers campaign will launch a community water leadership program in 2022 to create a pipeline of emerging leaders in CSO communities. This will increase participants and their organizations’ capacity to affect the implementation of the CSO Long Term Control Plans and longer-term decisions related to climate change, flooding, and infrastructure. Participants will be prepared to engage in municipal decision-making processes through roles in community-based organizations, elected local government positions, resident councils, or by appointment to planning, zoning, and water boards.

Construction of upgrades and improvements for the DDTH Pumping Station Improvements Project were financed by the New Jersey Water Bank. This project will provide water quality benefits and mitigate flooding for residents and businesses. The Harrison Avenue Stormwater Pumping Station project proposes the replacement of the two existing stormwater pumps with new submersible pumps with 75% more pumping capacity, the performance of reinforced concrete wet well modifications, and the installation of new electrical service and controls on an elevated platform located above the Flood Hazard elevation.

Partners will work on their microbial source tracking partnership, which aims to track sources of fecal contamination in the Lower Passaic River basin by collecting data across Passaic River tributaries. Parameters that have been analyzed include E. coli, Enterococcus, Caffeine, and qPCR for the detection and quantification of human and non-human DNA biomarkers.

The New Jersey Urban Mayors Association will advocate for policies and funding to support eliminating lead in water and improving aging infrastructure in the state&#8217;s urban communities.

In partnership with the City of Paterson and various community and sustainability organizations, the Paterson Green Team will support the Adopt-a-Catch Basin Program, Education Outreach on Combined Sewer Overflows, and the Sewage-Free Streets and Rivers campaign. The Green Team will also support the Paterson Green Schoolyards Initiative and lead the Paterson Open Mic Water Stories, Earth Day, City of Water Day, and 2nd Annual Green Fair.

Complete technical assistance project, with the support of New Jersey American Water, to assist Asbury Park in undertaking the Water Story Action. Sustainable Jersey will seek funding and support 50 municipalities interested in implementing actions to advance sustainable water systems and implement actions in the newly launched recognition, Gold Star in Water.

The US Water Alliance commits to creating a cohort of Delaware River Watershed water utilities that are committed to implementing water equity in their communities. The cohort will include Camden and Trenton, as well as Philadelphia, Allentown, Reading, Chester, and Wilmington. The goal is to promote water equity initiatives, such as affordability for low-income households, reduction of combined sewage flooding, elimination of lead service lines, and diversity, equity, and inclusion in the water workforce. Each community will develop and implement a water equity plan for the benefit of the communities they serve.

WaterWorks will foster awareness about employment opportunities in the drinking water and wastewater utility workforce via K-12 and higher education-level programming. In addition to developing, piloting, and implementing hands-on and virtual educational activities for students and educators about the critical role the water workforce has in their communities, the proposed project will provide linkages to employment opportunities in the water-wastewater workforce. WaterWorks is a package of tools (WaterMobile, WaterPal, WaterTalk, and Watercave) to assist educators and students.

Ridgewood Water will continue its efforts to “reimagine” its drinking water treatment system with the installation of PFAS contaminant removal systems. The new treatment plan will consolidate the system of 31 existing plants into 12 new ones. The technology at the new plants will remove PFAS contaminants to non-detect levels and improve other water quality characteristics.

New Jersey American Water is committed to investing over $350 million to support the continued treatment and delivery of high-quality water and wastewater services to the 2.8 million people it serves. New key investments include distribution system improvements (replacing over 90 miles of pipe,) continued improvements at surface water treatment plants, treatment system upgrades, and continued deployment of leak detection technology. The company is committed to continuing to identify and replace lead/galvanized service lines, meet lead and copper regulations, and educate customers on mitigating their exposure to lead from indoor plumbing.

Partners will conduct an analysis of the economic benefits of having clean water in the New York-New Jersey Harbor Estuary. This study, estimated to be completed in 2023, will be the first of its kind in the region and could serve as a stepping-stone for further work by governmental, non-governmental, and academic researchers.

Partners will work together to develop a baseline water quality inventory for the Paterson Great Falls National Historical Park. This will be used by park management in the development of a sound resource stewardship strategy, and by the Urban Waters Federal Partnership to identify water monitoring needs upstream of the Dundee Dam.

Camden Community Partnership commits to recruiting 100 Camden residents to volunteer to adopt a drain. Residents will receive a kit with all the necessary supplies to safely and effectively clear storm drains in order to reduce localized flooding in Camden.

Robert Tucker will write op-eds concerning New Jersey&#8217;s lead in drinking water problem and potential solutions.

In NJ Spotlight or a similar forum, commits to publishing an op-ed about the lead in drinking water issue and its potential solutions.

Environment New Jersey and Environment New Jersey Research and Policy Center will commit organizational resources, including outreach to its more than 20,000 citizen members, to actively promote research findings on the need for full replacement of lead service lines (LSLs), lobby the legislature for comprehensive LSL replacement legislation, advocate to the Drinking Water Quality Institute for a truly health protective lead in drinking water standard, and advocate to the Murphy administration for more regular testing of lead in school drinking water that is fully disclosed electronically.

Clean Water Action will develop and share effective and replicable community-based communications and outreach models that engage the public in achieving the solutions they seek with regards to lead. The organization will advocate for adoption of local, state, and federal policies that ensure adequate funding, timely action, full disclosure, and removal of lead hazards, with special attention to households least able to act on their own and most vulnerable to lead exposure and related harms.

Raritan Headwaters Association will present a Watershed Tools for Local Leaders seminar on lead testing, treatment, and abatement, including an online “Lead Toolkit” education and outreach service to municipalities and other groups. In addition, the longstanding Community Well Testing program will highlight a special “Get the Lead Out” campaign for the next three years enabling all residents on private well and public water to easily test their drinking water for lead.

The New Jersey Urban Mayors Association will partner to sponsor an event on municipal water management. Topics will include lead abatement, crisis management, communication to residents, and financial assistance tools.

ACNJ will advocate with the governor&#8217;s office, state agencies, and legislators for a coordinated state effort around lead prevention and a designated official point person to manage lead prevention activities across multiple departments. ACNJ will advocate for creation of memoranda of understanding that allow for more data sharing, especially child blood lead screening data, as well as more publicly accessible disclosure of lead testing results in water and housing.

GHHI will continue its work providing substantive technical assistance to the state and local lead poisoning prevention programs, as well as advancing holistic lead hazard inspections that include lead-based paint, soil, and drinking water, focused on children with elevated blood lead levels across New Jersey.

The Network is pleased to be a part of the Task Force and to commit to advancing its recommendations by hosting a webinar for its members, partners, and allies about the Task Force’s report and including policy initiatives that support water safety and access in its advocacy efforts to secure healthy, lead-free homes and communities.

The East Trenton Collaborative will increase awareness of lead in drinking water among affected community members by distributing information and hosting a forum on the topic of water safety.

Isles will provide technical assistance to community development organizations in other communities that want to conduct comprehensive home inspections for lead in paint, water, and soil.

The City of Newark commits to replacing every lead service line within its inventory within 24 to 30 months.

New Jersey American Water, which invests over $300 million annually in service areas that supply water to 2.7 million people, will identify lead service lines in its system, advocate for full LSL replacement and constructive cost recovery approaches to support it, use corrosion control methods and water quality monitoring to continue to meet lead and copper regulations, and educate customers on how to mitigate their exposure.

To help improve public safety, Trenton Water Works will publish an online map of the lead service lines throughout its service area.

The AWWA, acting through its Infrastructure Management Committee, will lead a team of interested parties in developing a model ordinance for lead service line replacement. This effort, which will be particularly helpful for municipalities, will fill an important informational gap in the development of such programs and thus accelerate their implementation.

The Commission will remove the remaining utility-owned lead service lines (approximately 800 in total) by the end of its current two-year contract with a private remediation firm (i.e., by 2021).

The Camden County Municipal Utilities Authority will increase awareness of the hazards associated with lead in drinking water by disseminating informational brochures in its quarterly bills and creating educational videos encouraging residents to &#8220;let it run to get the lead out&#8221; if their homes were built before 1986.

The Bordentown City Water Department will continue to employ a comprehensive, data-driven approach to investigating lead in drinking water, one that includes exploratory digging of curb boxes and testing of fire hydrants at or near homes with exceedances, free water sampling to all users, and ongoing public events to educate residents. Since the data collected thus far indicates no lead service lines in the city’s distribution system, the city will examine interior lead plumbing as a possible source.

The City of East Orange is committed to maintaining its own water supply. Under direction of the Board of Water Commissioners, the East Orange Water Department conducts regular testing of its water quality and will continue to make investments as needed to provide clean water to its residents. All testing is conducted by an independent third-party lab and results are provided to state regulatory agencies.

To increase overall efficiency, the Department of Community Affairs will participate in collaborative efforts to identify a more holistic approach to building inspections relating to lead exposure, one that includes lead in water.

In coordination with the Department of Environmental Protection, the Department of Education will continue to gather input from stakeholders on spending guidelines for the $100 million in state funds provided under the Securing Our Children&#8217;s Future bond act for water infrastructure improvements in New Jersey schools.

DCF has applied to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for a $1.5 million federal grant through the Water Infrastructure Improvement for the Nation Act (WIIN) to comprehensively test all of the 4,200 state-licensed childcare centers in 18 months (i.e., by August 2021). If funds remain, some portion of the family-run childcare providers that have voluntarily registered with the department will be tested.

Following the release of the report, NJF staff (under the Jersey Water Works banner) will facilitate a one-hour webinar on the Lead in Drinking Water Task Force recommendations featuring a handful of speakers and a question/answer period. As a pilot program for New Jersey, NJF will research the best methods to project the number of lead service lines in the absence of a complete inventory.

The Fund for New Jersey has committed to another year of philanthropic funding in support of a lead-free New Jersey, including a grant to New Jersey Future to support the Lead in Drinking Water Task Force. Funds will go toward staffing the task force, with a particular focus on implementation of the task force policy recommendations.

Chairman Daggett will publish an op-ed promoting lead in drinking water solutions.

Additionally, seven organizations committed to posting the Jersey Water Works “member of” logo on their website, four organizations volunteered for a stream clean-up, green infrastructure workshop or related activity, four organizations will feature Jersey Water Works and its work in their newsletter and three organizations will publish a new resource in partnership with Jersey Water Works.

The Wei will work to form an organic food coalition to advocate for public funding and private donations for the development of affordable water infrastructure and to develop a toolkit growers can use for negotiating immediate access to water from the municipalities where they are located.

Dr. Van Abs will oversee completion of a report comparing state regulatory programs regarding the long-term maintenance of wastewater utility infrastructure, especially sewage collection systems, to ensure utility reliability and resilience. For municipalities in Middlesex County, Dr. Van Abs will oversee an evaluation of master plans and plan elements that address environmental quality and natural resource protection, including water supply and wastewater utility issues.

EPA Region 2 remains fully committed to working with the state of New Jersey and other partners during 2017 to protect, improve and enhance water quality in the NJ/NY harbor while looking for ways to address the financial burden on impacted communities. We will support the state of New Jersey in exploring ways to apply a new EPA policy that provides the states with more opportunities to fully utilize the benefits of the State Revolving Fund (SRF) program. With this new policy, New Jersey can potentially provide more grants, principal forgiveness, and other flexibilities to qualifying impacted communities. This will help supplement existing SRF tools including zero percent interest rate loans already offered by the state.

Thomas Edison State University will assist the New Jersey Urban Mayors Association in the formation of its Water Infrastructure Committee to provide policy analysis, technical assistance, and resource identification. The committee will support Jersey Water Works in its objective to improve the water infrastructure systems in urban communities. The primary goal of NJUMA’s Water Infrastructure Committee will be to raise awareness around combined sewer overflows and identify funding sources as well as best practices in the planning and management of all urban communities’ aging water infrastructure.

Following Stevens’ second-place award in the national 2015 USEPA Campus RainWorks Challenge, for which it developed a Green Infrastructure Master Plan for the campus, Stevens Institute of Technology will install experimental green roofs and bioretention planters on a new building, in an effort to drive innovation in design specifications, as well as a new rain garden.

Sustainable Jersey will launch four new actions, drafted by the Jersey Water Works Best Practices and Green Infrastructure committees, in their municipal certification program to promote water infrastructure best practices to local governments and their civic leaders. Municipalities will be able to receive points for conducting a water loss audit, creating, and implementing an asset management program, developing a green infrastructure plan and installing green infrastructure practices in their municipalities.

The Rutgers Cooperative Extension Water Resources Program and the New Jersey Water Resources Research Institute will conduct a research project to understand more clearly the economic issues associated with stormwater utilities. The goal of this project is to determine whether, if some of the stormwater utility models from other states were applied in New Jersey, the utilities could serve as an economic driver to create jobs in the public and private sector.

NY/NJ HEP will assess and communicate how managing pollutants from combined sewer overflows and stormwater discharges will improve recreational experiences, habitat, and community. Specific projects will include advancing the use of green infrastructure, modeling improvements of water quality resulting from Long Term Control Plans, engaging local civic organizations in harbor stewardship, and publicizing results.

NY/NJ Baykeeper volunteers will spend 250 hours cleaning up local shorelines, rivers and creeks in the New York-New Jersey harbor estuary.

NY/NJ Baykeeper will add 100,000 new oysters to New York and New Jersey harbor waters to improve water quality and shoreline resiliency.

NJUA will submit an op-ed to news outlets making the case for investment in water infrastructure.

New Jersey Future will partner with the Rutgers Water Resources Program to develop a concept plan and budget for green infrastructure on its building, an adjacent alley, and its block in downtown Trenton, and will work to engage its neighbors and the City of Trenton in implementing appropriate pieces of the plan.

The New Jersey Environmental Infrastructure Trust will issue all future environmental infrastructure bonds as “green bonds” to promote the development of the market for GI bonds within the state and to amplify its commitment to financing water quality infrastructure projects that enhance water resources, protect public health, and ensure the safety of drinking water supplies. NJEIT will position its portfolio more effectively to investors interested in supporting New Jersey community investments in water infrastructure and clean water.

NJDEP will develop green infrastructure guidance to assist permittees in meeting their combined sewer overflow (CSO) permit obligations to effectively evaluate green infrastructure (GI) as part of the development of a long-term control plan (LTCP). The detailed technical guidance document will include such topics as: how to identify priority areas for the use of GI and how to calculate cost vs. performance, including supplemental benefits of GI. DEP will work closely with the permittees by conducting at least two stakeholder meetings to ensure the guidance is understandable and meets their needs.

The Nature Conservancy in New Jersey will work with the organization’s national impact investing group to develop a financing facility that could support community-based public-private partnerships in New Jersey and around the country to scale up and fast-track the implementation of green stormwater infrastructure.

NACWA will raise the visibility in Congress of the clean-water affordability challenges facing low-income households in New Jersey and across the country.

NACWA will release a compendium to showcase municipal clean water utilities that are addressing environmental justice concerns in their communities. It will include a case study from the Camden County Municipal Utilities Authority and can serve as a resource for other New Jersey utilities.

Louis Berger will provide engineering staff support to Jersey Water Works in 2017 to assist in establishing its measurement system for its Wise Management and Spending goal, which is focused on the implementation and funding of asset management programs.

The City of Hoboken will host Jersey Water Works members on a bicycle tour of the city, highlighting green infrastructure installations and unique partnerships developed to reduce combined sewer overflows.

The Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation will convene a water infrastructure funders affinity group to foster learning, coordination, and network-building among philanthropic funders with a shared interest in water infrastructure in New Jersey.

Jersey Water Works co-chairs Mark Mauriello and Jane Kenny will submit an op-ed to news outlets highlighting the work of Jersey Water Works and its members.

The Environmental Finance Center will offer New Jersey communities technical assistance related to the management of water infrastructure.

Clean Water Action will work with the City of Newark to install green infrastructure projects on municipal land. It will also create community action teams in Newark’s South Ward to implement large-scale green infrastructure practices to prevent stormwater runoff from entering the combined sewer system.

Clean Ocean Action will expand its work on modeling microbial source tracking of the Navesink River watershed using scent-trained canines to detect the presence of human fecal contamination in the Navesink and other impaired waterbodies in New Jersey.

The center will work with the City of Newark and funding agencies to install a green infrastructure project on the NJIT campus, which will serve to train students and will aid in communicating Newark’s stormwater challenges with the larger community. NRDP personnel are using the latest software to design and evaluate the long-term behavior of GI.

In 2017, the ACUA will continue research, study, and negotiations with some of Atlantic County’s larger water users, along with the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, in an effort to realize and promote a wastewater reuse program. This project will reduce the use of potable water for irrigation by using treated wastewater instead that would otherwise be lost to the ocean as effluent. ACUA will publish a blog post at the end of the year on JerseyWaterWorks.org to report on its work.

Through workshops, seminars, and webinars, ANJEC will educate environmental commissions on stream daylighting and the resulting impacts on stormwater runoff, flash flooding, and the environment. ANJEC will help one or two communities to advance stream daylighting projects by assisting with mapping, enlisting project partners, and developing plans for community education and visioning.

AEA-NJ and Sustainable Jersey are partnering to host a workshop for AEA-NJ members in late January or early February 2017 to review the new water infrastructure actions in the Sustainable Jersey certification program, including water loss audit, asset management and green infrastructure planning and installation. Speakers will provide step-by-step best practice guidance and will discuss how to engage local governments as partners and the role of wastewater utilities in using green infrastructure in stormwater management.

AEA this year is piloting a professional development academy to build human capital and leadership in public water/wastewater/solid waste agencies. In addition, AEA will promote asset management and prudent financial planning at its fall conference with seven presentations by industry professionals and regulators. AEA is also furthering asset management with a workshop in early 2017 on “forgotten assets.”

Through its “Water for Tomorrow” program, Middlesex Water Company will invest $160 million in water infrastructure in 2017 and 2018 to enhance safety, reliability, and resiliency. Projects will include construction of a critical transmission main for backup water supply; new ozonation treatment to meet water quality requirements; several large tanks for additional storage; additional electric standby generation; and relocation of meters to exterior pits for greater customer convenience and safety.

Jersey City and its Office of Innovation have designated 2017 as “A Year of Water.” The Office of Innovation will work with stakeholders to align priorities, promote partnerships, and encourage best practices to support water stewardship.

Additionally, three organizations committed to posting the Jersey Water Works “member of” logo on their website, three organizations will volunteer for a stream clean-up, green infrastructure workshop or related activity, two organizations will feature Jersey Water Works and its work in their newsletter and one organization will publish a new resource in partnership with Jersey Water Works.
&nbsp;

The Whitman Strategy Group is committed to posting quarterly updates to its company website that highlight the progress being made by Jersey Water Works including one article featuring Whitman Strategy Group’s volunteer work with the collaborative.