Conserving and managing water supplies

Faced with a directive to stop discharging its treated wastewater into a creek, the Town of Hammonton embarked on a series of innovative projects that have transformed its relationship to water. From water conservation to wastewater reuse, the town’s efforts show how a holistic approach to water can result in major gains for sustainability.

The Hammonton water treatment plant, which came online in 2004, was originally designed to recharge wastewater onsite through five rapid infiltration trenches. However, the trenches did not absorb as much water as anticipated because the underlying earth was too dense. Instead, the plant started discharging its effluent into Hammonton Creek. This short-term solution had a negative effect on water quality and aquatic ecosystems downstream.

Hammonton came up with a forward-thinking solution: Avoid discharge entirely by reusing its treated wastewater. The town constructed an overland and subsurface drip irrigation system. This extensive array of pipes carries treated, disinfected effluent from the plant to nearby wooded lands and municipal playing fields. The system irrigates approximately 34 acres, making beneficial reuse of up to 660,000 gallons of water per day. This has several environmental benefits: It avoids the consumption of fresh drinking water for irrigation; by eliminating the need for wastewater discharge into the creek, it maintains the hydrologic integrity of a sensitive waterway; and perhaps most importantly, it helps recharge the Kirkwood-Cohansey Aquifer. Hammonton’s Municipal Utilities Department is the first in New Jersey to implement a project of this kind.

Hammonton also recognized that wastewater management starts at the tap. By encouraging reductions in water consumption, it could lessen the volume of wastewater that reached the treatment plant. The town initiated its water conservation efforts in 2013, when it changed its outdated water billing system. The new water rate structure encouraged residents to use less water. A complementary ordinance limited lawn watering. Town officials helped residents through the transition by providing information on how to conserve water and save money. Additionally, the town used funding from Sustainable Jersey to create and promote a rebate program for residents who purchased water-efficient appliances. More than $12,000 was rebated to water customers for devices such as Energy Star dishwashers and improved lawn irrigation systems. The town estimates that its efforts conserved more than one million gallons of water.

Rounding out its comprehensive water initiatives, Hammonton addressed water pollution as well. The town’s Green Committee has partnered with various organizations — including the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection’s Watershed Ambassadors and South Jersey Land and Water Trusts — to educate residents about stormwater management and rain barrels. In 2018, the town offered homeowners two rain garden workshops, as well as rebates for planting rain gardens. Rain garden installations at Hammonton’s schools and library created opportunities for the town to demonstrate the value of stormwater management to residents, students, and visitors. In addition, the town regularly monitors water quality at Hammonton Lake during summer months, gathering data about pollution.

The highly visible nature of Hammonton’s various initiatives has provided the perfect opportunity to engage residents on water issues. Although the irrigation system initially encountered negative public reaction, town officials addressed residents’ worries by presenting useful, factual information, eventually gaining support for the project. Residents have had numerous opportunities to participate directly in water projects through training workshops and rebate programs. While Hammonton’s water management alone is admirable, the town has also created a model for building public support for change, making it a leader in the journey toward a sustainable future.

Project Partners: Town of Hammonton, Association of New Jersey Environmental Commissions, Rutgers Water Resources Program, Hammonton Environmental Commission, South Jersey Resource Conservation & Development Council

Supporting Partners: Hammonton Green Committee, Atlantic County Utilities Authority, Lake Water Quality Advisory Committee

A flyer for one of Hammonton’s rain barrel workshops

Commercial-scale indoor farming facility

David Rosenberg, chief executive officer and co-founder of AeroFarms, is worried about water. Seventy percent of the world’s freshwater supply is used for farming. However, current agricultural practices, such as heavy pesticide use, are a major cause of water contamination. Agriculture also has other problems. Ninety-five percent of the greens for the United States’ $7 billion salad industry are grown in California and Arizona, resulting in carbon emissions and food waste when the packages are shipped nationwide. As these states face droughts and water shortages, this business model has become unsustainable.

AeroFarms takes a different approach to agriculture. The company grows crops inside a former industrial warehouse in Newark. This indoor vertical farm features trays of vegetable greens stacked on floor-to-ceiling shelves. AeroFarms’ patented aeroponic growing technology requires no soil, no sun, and no pesticides. Plant seeds are embedded in reusable fabric and germinated under LED lights. As the roots grow through the fabric and into a chamber underneath, they are sprayed with a nutrient-rich mist. Sensors monitor temperature, light, CO2, humidity, air flow, and nutrients in real time. Sensors in AeroFarms’ growing trays collect 130,000 data points, allowing the company to optimize conditions for each plant.

This aeroponic growing system uses 95 percent less water than field farming and 40 percent less than traditional hydroponic systems. With no insects to harm its crops, AeroFarms doesn’t need to use pesticides, eliminating the problem of polluted runoff that can’t be reused. Indeed, the “closed loop” misting system recycles water and nutrients with virtually no waste. And because the plants never touch pesticides or soil, AeroFarms’ crops require no washing, resulting in another significant reduction in water consumption.

The environmental benefits of this system extend beyond water conservation. By harvesting and bagging its crops onsite, AeroFarms provides fresh produce locally, avoiding the vast, carbon-emitting supply chains of traditional agriculture. Because the indoor farm doesn’t have to contend with fluctuating temperature, light, and weather conditions, its growing cycle is only half as long as field-grown crops, producing food quickly without requiring more farmland.

AeroFarms’ good business practices go beyond crop production. Its building complies with the New Jersey Economic Development Authority’s green building standards for energy and water efficiency, air quality, and waste management. Green infrastructure onsite helps manage stormwater and reduce local flooding. The company has invested in natural gas turbines so it can eventually generate its own clean energy independent of the grid. It is a certified B corporation, a member of the Ellen MacArthur Circular Economy 100, and a strategic partner in the Rockefeller Foundation’s 100 Resilient Cities initiative.

AeroFarms also makes an effort to provide value to the local community. It has created more than 100 year-round, fair-wage jobs in Newark, a city with an unemployment rate that is twice the national average. As a recipient of a Community Development Block Grant, the company is committed to hiring from the local community. More than 40 percent of AeroFarms’ employees live in Newark, and 85 percent live within 15 miles of the city. AeroFarms educates students at Philip’s Academy Charter School in Newark with a specialized miniature growing tower in the cafeteria. Students use the tower to grow their own food, learning in the process about biology, engineering, nutrition, agriculture, and healthy cooking. This hands-on education is especially meaningful because Newark is considered an urban food desert.

By producing 1.7 million pounds of fresh greens in the heart of a former industrial city, and selling salads at affordable rates to community members, AeroFarms demonstrates a real solution for urban food deserts like Newark. Its indoor aeroponic farming method also holds promise for boosting food security in the face of climate change. AeroFarms has shaped its technologies with an eye toward replicating its methods elsewhere. With farms in development in several states and on four continents, it is well on its way toward transforming agriculture.

Project Partners: AeroFarms, Goldman Sachs Urban Investment Group, Prudential, New Jersey Economic Development Authority, RBH Group

Supporting Partners: City of Newark, Ironbound Community Corporation, KSS Architects, Hollister Construction, MBS Urban Initiatives, New Jersey Community Capital

Camden Stormwater Management and Resource Training Initiative 

Camden had a flooding problem — and not just because of its location on the Delaware River. One inch of rain from an everyday storm could submerge a low-lying neighborhood like Cramer Hill in polluted runoff and sewage. Residents complained of flooded basements, blocked roads, and unusable public parks.

The city’s water infrastructure struggled to handle large volumes of stormwater. In many urban areas, dense development has exacerbated flooding, as impervious surfaces like roads and parking lots prevent water from soaking into the ground. But Camden faced further difficulty because of its combined sewer system.

This type of sewer system, found in 21 of New Jersey’s older cities, dates back to the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It is designed to handle both stormwater runoff and sewage. During a storm, additional runoff overwhelms the system and it overflows, discharging runoff and raw sewage into nearby waterways, streets, parks and basements. What represented state-of-the-art technology a century ago is no longer a viable stormwater and sanitation solution.

Camden’s aging, overtaxed system backs up often when it rains — meaning that Camden’s residents aren’t dealing with just water in their streets, but also untreated sewage. It is a threat to public health, as well as a detriment to existing and future economic development in the city.

In 2011, six organizations teamed up to tackle this daunting problem. The City of Camden, Cooper’s Ferry Partnership, Camden County Municipal Utilities Authority, Rutgers Cooperative Extension Water Resources Program, New Jersey Tree Foundation, and the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection formed a collaboration called Camden SMART (Stormwater Management and Resources Training). Their goal was to engage the community in efforts to improve water quality, protect human health, improve conditions for economic development, and enhance quality of life in the city.

Camden SMART completed several significant projects in pursuit of these goals, including the reconstruction of 8,522 linear feet of sewer in specific areas where infrastructure had been failing. To reduce the volume of runoff overwhelming Camden’s water infrastructure, the group constructed 49 green infrastructure projects across the city. An antidote to impervious pavement, green infrastructure consists of installations like tree trenches and rain gardens that capture stormwater and slowly release it into the ground. It complements traditional “gray” infrastructure (i.e., drains and pipes) by reducing the volume of runoff that enters the system. Camden SMART’s green infrastructure projects capture and infiltrate more than 60 million gallons of stormwater each year, preventing that water from contributing to combined sewer overflows.

Another of Camden SMART’s major achievements focused on Von Nieda Park, a low-lying area in Cramer Hill that experienced some of the worst flooding. The group separated the sewer system, construct drainage basins, and daylight the adjacent Baldwin’s Run Stream. The daylighting reconstructed 16,718 square feet of the Baldwin’s Run tributary — which had been filled in the 1950s — to help divert stormwater to the Delaware River. Together, these improvements divert 50 million gallons of runoff annually from Camden’s combined sewer system. Flooding is much less frequent, and residents can better enjoy the park’s open space.

Such visible infrastructure projects provide the perfect opportunity for public engagement and education. Camden SMART has hosted 33 sustainability events and workshops. It has distributed 223 rain barrels to Camden residents, planted 1,458 trees, and collaborated with 40 project partners. The group estimates that it has engaged 4,000 community members through its outreach efforts.

The Camden SMART Initiative has earned national attention. It has reduced flooding, improved water quality, educated and empowered residents, and created new green jobs. And in the process, it has demonstrated how local collaborative action can achieve transformational change.

Project Partners: City of Camden, Camden County Municipal Utility Authority, Cooper’s Ferry Partnership, Rutgers Water Resources Program, New Jersey Tree Foundation, New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (Office of Brownfield Reuse)

Protecting against floods with a community-designed park

The southwest corner of Hoboken has long struggled with flooding–a chronic problem that came into sharp focus during Hurricane Sandy. The area sits on a former marsh that had been filled in and paved, making it vulnerable even to small storms. In response to a grassroots civic movement to address flooding and a lack of green space, the City of Hoboken developed Southwest Park, New Jersey’s first resiliency park.

The city purchased an underutilized parking lot and hired Starr Whitehouse Landscape Architects and Planners to design the park. Over the course of three public workshops, the city gathered input from residents to determine community priorities. Residents evaluated programming concepts and provided suggestions. The final design plan was presented to the community and received popular approval. The completed park, which opened on Sept. 22, 2017, features rain gardens, wood deck paths, a granite amphitheater, a dog run, tables and chairs, a bike sharing station, public WiFi, a central plaza, restrooms, and a perimeter pedestrian mall that can accommodate local vendors and food trucks.

Three stormwater management systems capture stormwater: open-jointed pavers, rain gardens, and vegetated bioswales. The park’s urban plaza area makes use of open-jointed pavers to create a paved area that is completely permeable. It sits on a bed of gravel that filters stormwater before it returns to the watershed. The rain gardens feature native plants and sandy soil to filter water. Excess water flows into one of three stormwater detention basins that are located underground. The bioswales capture water from adjacent roadways and sidewalks, filtering pollutants and directing excess water to the stormwater detention basins.

The three stormwater detention basins capture excess water during heavy storms, with the capacity to hold up to 71,000 gallons. After a storm, the detained water is released gradually into the combined sewer by a sensor that controls the rate of flow. With the stormwater detention basins and stormwater management systems combined, the park can store up to 190,000 gallons in total–enough to provide flood relief beyond the boundary of the park.

Taking advantage of the park’s public-facing nature, the City of Hoboken has installed informational signs to educate the public about stormwater management and environmental issues. The park functions simultaneously as a stormwater mitigation system, public space, and an educational tool.

Partners: New Jersey Environmental Infrastructure Trust, County of Hudson, North Hudson Sewerage Authority

Sewerage facility with a vision

The Landis Sewerage Authority is a lot more than just a wastewater treatment plant. Its facility-wide programs handle water holistically, with the overarching goal of contributing to the health of the watershed. The result is a plant that operates more broadly as a resource reclamation facility, acting as a positive player within the larger ecosystem.

The authority’s projects begin with water. Each year, the plant returns 1.8 billion gallons — the highest volume in New Jersey — of highly treated effluent to the ground. This strategy differs from most treatment plants, which usually release treated wastewater into rivers or the ocean, preventing a return to the original source. In contrast, LSA’s policy of applying the effluent to land via infiltration basins and spray irrigation helps recharge the aquifer. In turn, the aquifer supports the wetlands and base flow for the Maurice River.

At the LSA, even byproducts have a use. The authority collects wastewater biosolids, which are rich in nitrogen and phosphorus, and uses them as organic fertilizer for the corn, hay, and straw grown on its 400-acre farm. Crop production has exceeded 1,100 tons per year, and gross sales of more than $100,000 per year help stabilize LSA’s user rates. Biosolids are also used for fertilizer as part of LSA’s forest management plan: It used 150 of its 1,800 acres to plant 75,000 trees, including Eastern white cedar. The trees sequester carbon, removing greenhouse gases from the atmosphere.

Landis Sewerage Authority strives to provide habitats for the species that rely on its ecologically sensitive tract of land. Its efforts to maintain the watershed have contributed to a large, on-site population of swamp pink, an at-risk species that is rare elsewhere. In partnership with New Jersey Audubon, the National Wild Turkey Federation, New Jersey Fish and Game, New Jersey Forest Fire Fighting Service, New Jersey Outdoor Alliance, and South Jersey Quail Project, LSA has worked on habitat restoration project for bobwhite quails. The restored pine savannah habitat will also support other bird species and milkweed for Monarch butterflies. With Citizens United of Maurice River, LSA has created nesting boxes for bluebirds. Future projects include a focus on purple martin colonies and continuing conservation collaborations.

On the renewable energy front, LSA hosts solar power in partnership with the Vineland Municipal Electric Utility. A waste receiving station collects food waste, fats, oils, and grease and processes them with an anaerobic digester. The digestion process produces methane, which is then run through a clean-burning  engine to produce electricity and hot water. The authority also has an on-site wind turbine mounted on a 45-foot monopole. In 2017, the facility installed two electric car-charging stations that can charge cars using energy from the wind turbine on windy days. On the whole, LSA generates more energy than it consumes.

The authority also recognizes the importance of getting the public excited about environmental efforts. It provides opportunities for various children’s groups, including Poultry Pride, N.J. Youth Corps, and 4H, to participate in habitat restoration. It has sponsored a middle school Earth Day poster contest in Vineland for the past 23 years; approximately 200 students participate each year. For college students, LSA hosts internship opportunities that provide real-world experience working at the facility. Its frequent plant tours reached an international audience in 2016, when the facility hosted several visitors from Africa through the Rutgers Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders.

Primary partners: New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Fish and Game Council, National Wild Turkey Federation, New Jersey Audubon

Supporting partners: Bishop Schad Regional, City of Vineland Environmental Commission, Creative Achievement School, Landis Intermediate School, New Jersey Department of Agriculture, New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection — Bureau of Mobile Sources, New Jersey Residuals, Rossi Intermediate School, Saint Mary’s School, Veterans Memorial School, Wallace Middle School 

From emergency to opportunity

In December 2016, Middlesex Water Company detected a leak in a transmission main under Route 1 in Edison Township. The leak presented a major challenge. It had to be fixed immediately; the main represented a critical piece of the company’s infrastructure, which serves 61,000 customers in eastern Middlesex County. But its particular location — next to Route 1 and near the Route 287 northbound ramp — created an unusual level of difficulty. A conventional solution would have called for what’s known as open-cut replacement, which would require shutting down two important thoroughfares and excavating the roadway.

An experienced crew applies the CFRP lining inside the main.

Middlesex Water opted for a more innovative strategy: using a carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) to repair the 385 linear feet of pipe. The 30-inch diameter of the prestressed concrete cylinder pipe was large enough for an experienced crew to crawl inside and apply the polymer sheet internally. After hardening, the sheet formed a thin liner that left the internal diameter of the pipe virtually unchanged. This structural rehabilitation extended the main’s integrity for a minimum of 50 years of potable water use. The pipe regained its original hydrostatic pressure capacity and gained load capacity. The repair also allowed the pipe to accommodate increased internal pressure requirements. Most importantly, the project was completed rapidly, with no public disruptions or traffic delays. It was the first time that CFRP had been applied to a pipe section of this diameter and length.

While the transmission main was out of service, Middlesex Water undertook an additional proactive step: an internal electromagnetic and CCTV inspection of the pipe to identify any other areas that might need repair. This structural evaluation and assessment provided information about the horizontal and vertical alignment of the main. The electromagnetic inspection revealed that one pipe segment needed imminent replacement. This section of pipe was replaced prior to the CRFP application. By conducting this additional investigation of the pipe before the CFRP process, Middlesex Water ensured that the completed repair was both comprehensive and sustainable.

Throughout the repair process, Middlesex Water consulted with local police, fire, and township officials. The company also collaborated with local businesses, the local gas utility, contractors, consultants, the New Jersey Department of Transportation, and the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection. Once the project was complete, Middlesex Water informed the public of the repair through social media, demonstrating how proactive infrastructure replacement benefits the community. The company also hosted an information session to share its process with other utilities, construction companies, and engineering firms, and will present a paper about the project at several upcoming industry conferences.

Middlesex Water shares its process during an educational presentation.

Primary Partners: Township of Edison; New Jersey Department of Transportation; Middlesex County Roads Department; Public Service Electric & Gas; Williams Colonial

Supporting Partners: CDM Smith; Echologics; J. Fletcher Creamer; Pure Technologies; Simpson, Gumpertz and Heger; Structural Technologies

Finding a natural wastewater solution

Stony Brook-Millstone Watershed Association needed a wastewater treatment system—and not just any system, but one that aligned with its mission of keeping water clean, safe, and healthy. Septic systems serving the various structures at the Watershed Center in Pennington had failed. Moreover, SBMWA planned to expand its facilities. Partnering with Natural Systems Utilities, SBMWA developed a holistic, natural solution: a constructed wetland that would function as a wastewater treatment system.

Because the Watershed Center’s combined facilities had to handle more than 2,000 gallons per day, NSU applied for and received discharge to groundwater and treatment works approval permits from the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection. Once the permits were granted, NSU constructed the wetland in 2014. It commenced operations in 2015 and has achieved a high level of performance since then.

The constructed wetland is a natural, low-energy system that produces a high-quality effluent. Nitrogen is removed prior to groundwater recharge. The system also serves as a landscape that increases wildlife habitat and supports biodiversity. The wetland wastewater project is the ideal complement to the LEED Platinum-certified building that serves as the home of the Watershed Center.

As part of an educational center that has had more than 50,000 visitors since its opening in 2015, the wetland wastewater system provides the public with a strong example of holistic, sustainable water treatment. The watershed association has capitalized on the educational opportunities by installing informative signage and a walking audio tour with QR codes for mobile access. Additional signage in restrooms helps visitors understand the connection between wastewater and the wetland outdoors. The watershed also works with nearby municipalities that are interested initiating similar projects.

Partners: Natural Systems Utilities

Diagram of the wetland system (click for PDF)