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Do you know what happens to your sewage once it goes down the drain?

If you live in a town with municipal wastewater treatment facilities, you'd probably say it gets treated before being released back into local waterways.

But that's not always the case.

Today's sewer systems are often structured with two separate pipes: one to carry your sewage directly to the treatment plant and another to carry stormwater runoff to waterways. 1

EAST ORANGE, NJ — East Orange was represented in a broader statewide conversation on drinking-water safety as the NAACP Oranges & Maplewood Branch brought together water utility professionals, environmental advocates, state regulators and community leaders for “The State of Safe Drinking Water in NJ Conference” at Seton Hall University. Among the participants was Odell Rolling, supervisor of Water Repairs for the East Orange Water Commission, who joined water professionals from other New Jersey communities and organizations to discuss lead service lines, PFAS “forever chemicals,” aging infrastructure, water affordability and public accountability.

Jersey Water Works said Aug. 6 that the Lead Service Line Implementation Workgroup received an official resolution from the New Jersey Senate & General Assembly in recognition of the group’s policy innovation and leadership in water infrastructure safety.

The Jersey Water Works Lead Service Line Implementation Workgroup received an award from the Lead Service Line Replacement Collaborative.

The group was honored in the Policy Innovation and Leadership category for its leadership and significant contributions to advancing lead service line replacement.

The New Jersey Urban Mayors Association published the Spring 2026 Urban Mayors Press, which features the article, “New Jersey Can’t Wait 40 Years to Fix Sewage Overflows.” Co-written by the JWW CSO Committee and Sewage-Free Streets and Rivers campaign, the article provides combined sewer overflow municipalities and wastewater utilities with high-level recommendations to address generational equity issues.

Jersey Water Works (JWW), a collaborative of over 600 individuals and organizations dedicated to transforming New Jersey’s aging water infrastructure, is hosting its 2025 annual conference Dec. 11 at The College of New Jersey, 2000 Pennington Road, Brower Student Center, in Ewing. The event will bring together over 200 water experts, local officials and community leaders.

This year’s theme, “Our Commitment to Future Generations,” focuses on strengthening and scaling the work already underway to address New Jersey’s most urgent water challenges, including lead service line replacement, combined sewer overflows (CSOs), PFAS contamination, water affordability and climate resilience.

The conference provides a critical platform to advance sustainable, cost-effective solutions and celebrate more than a decade of progress in championing a holistic “one water” approach — integrating drinking water, wastewater and stormwater management.

‘The state of New Jersey must provide sustained infrastructure funding to overcome decades of underinvestment in our water systems’

Environmental data from New Jersey regulators shows that lead service line problems could be in your backyard.

A program that aimed at introducing Hudson County Community College students to the water sector — as well as preparing them to enter employment opportunities, internships and the New Jersey Water and Wastewater Systems Operations Apprenticeship Program — recently had its second graduation ceremony.

Earlier this month, on the Jersey City campus of HCCC, 17 participants who completed the summer-intensive Water Workforce Utility Program were recognized.

The New Jersey Water Bank, a partnership between the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection and the New Jersey Infrastructure Bank that provides low-cost financing for projects to improve local clean- and drinking-water infrastructure, has for the first time surpassed $1 billion in fiscal year project financing, Environmental Protection Commissioner Shawn M. LaTourette, EPA Regional Administrator Lisa Garcia and Infrastructure Bank officials announced today.