Innovative Initiatives Can Lead the Way

October 9th, 2014 by New Jersey Future staff

Anthony Perno is the chief executive officer of Cooper’s Ferry Partnership.

Cross-posted from The Johnson Foundation at Wingspread’s Inspiring Solutions series on urban water infrastructure

Anthony Perno of Cooper’s Ferry Partnership

It doesn’t take much to put stress on Camden’s aging and overtaxed combined sewer system. A one-inch rainstorm can leave major roads impassable, turn parking lots into stagnant lakes, and send sewage into parks, homes and waterways. Not only is this a nuisance, but also a public health crisis that degrades the quality of life of Camden’s residents and negatively impacts the city’s economic viability and environmental quality. The unseasonably wet summer of 2013 created several large street floods that shut down public transportation and cut off roads, stranding residents, workers and visitors. A fire company’s boat was needed to rescue passengers from train platforms surrounded by floodwaters. The significant flooding impacts from just typical rainfall further underscore the dire threat that severe weather events, like Hurricane Sandy in 2012, present to Camden.

The City of Camden is tackling its extreme urban water infrastructure challenges through an innovative and dynamic partnership called the Camden SMART (Stormwater Management And Resource Training) Initiative. Founded in 2011 by a coalition of six entities – Cooper’s Ferry Partnership (CFP), the City of Camden (City), Camden County Municipal Utilities Authority (CCMUA), Rutgers Cooperative Extension Water Resources Program (RCE), New Jersey Tree Foundation (NJTF), and the N.J. Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP)- the Camden SMART Initiative is a community-driven movement to protect human health, improve conditions for economic development, improve water quality and enhance the quality of life for Camden City, its residents and the Delaware River watershed through the broad use of green and grey infrastructure techniques for stormwater management.

Read the full article on The Johnson Foundation at Wingspread’s website.