Water Infrastructure for Thriving Communities
Every resident and business in New Jersey deserves safe drinking water, a healthy home, clean rivers, and flood-free neighborhoods.
New Jersey Future’s growing water and health team is working to transform the state’s systems for drinking water, wastewater, stormwater, and lead remediation from the inside out. We are changing state policy, assisting practitioners, facilitating collaboratives, and enlisting community voices in advocacy. To connect with us, please contact New Jersey Future Policy Director Diane Schrauth (dschrauth
njfuture
org) or any of the program staff noted below.
Jersey Water Works
- Members of JWW committees work across sectors to advance innovative solutions like the New Jersey Water Risk and Equity Map. Shared resources highlight best practices and the latest news to ensure that decision-makers, experts, and water consumers are up-to-date on current initiatives. Each year, hundreds of members and friends gather for a summer membership meeting and the Jersey Water Works annual conference. New Jersey Future provides backbone staff support to the collaborative and serves on its Steering Committee. Contact Program Manager Paula Figueroa-Vega (pfigueroanjfutureorg) or Program Coordinator Lauren Belsky (lbelskynjfutureorg) and click here to join the collaborative!
- JWW’s Lead in Drinking Water Task Force is working to virtually eliminate lead in drinking water in 10 years to protect children’s health. In October 2019, the task force issued a report, Lead in Drinking Water: A Permanent Solution for New Jersey, that outlined 19 actions New Jersey could take. During 2021, several key pieces of state legislation were enacted, including the nation’s most aggressive requirements for lead service line replacement. In November 2021, the task force issued 10 solutions for child care facilities. In 2022, the task force is working to implement its recommendations by convening a new peer-sharing group, crafting practical policy and implementation solutions, and providing policy support to Lead-Free NJ. Contact Senior Policy Advisor Gary Brune (gbrunenjfutureorg) for more information.
- JWW launched Jersey WaterCheck in March 2021, a user-friendly dashboard that features data about the state’s drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater systems. The dashboard has information on approximately 542 drinking water and wastewater systems along with metrics for New Jersey’s 563 municipalities. It connects New Jerseyans to New Jersey water systems and provides the knowledge we need to improve New Jersey’s water infrastructure for individuals, communities, utilities, and our state’s leaders. Contact Program Manager Jyoti Venketraman (jvenketramannjfutureorg) for more information.
Mainstreaming Green Infrastructure
- Green Infrastructure Municipal Toolkit is an online resource to help municipalities plan, implement, and sustain green infrastructure and understand the state’s Stormwater Rules.
- Developer’s Green Infrastructure Guide is a detailed resource, produced in collaboration with the New Jersey Builders Association, to facilitate the inclusion of green infrastructure in private-sector developments.
- The Trenton Green Team is a community-based initiative that coordinates environmental advocacy, green infrastructure demonstration projects, and other efforts in Trenton.
Contact Policy and Program Coordinator Andrew Tabas (atabasnjfutureorg) for more information.
Sewage-Free Streets and Rivers
njfutureorg) .Lead-Free NJ
The collaborative focuses on legacy lead hazards in low-income communities and/or communities of color, while also creating the conditions for children to be free from lead poisoning statewide. Contact Program Manager Heather Sorge (hsorgenjfutureorg) for more information.
Stormwater Utilities
For more information or to join the NJ Stormwater Utilities Learning Exchange, please contact Stormwater Manager Brianne Callahan (bcallahannjfutureorg) for more information.
Recent Reports:
New Jersey Future Blog
February 22, 2022 by Bailey LawrenceIndeed, the full value of Newark’s LSL replacement program lies not in its completion, but in what it suggests about what can be accomplished in communities across the state. Thus, following the completion of Newark’s nationally acclaimed program, the conversation across the state—and across the country—has pivoted from what happened in Newark to what should happen next.
January 19, 2022 by Guest AuthorRoadways throughout the nation are a significant source of pollution to local streams, rivers, and lakes. Stormwater runoff controls are essential for preventing pollutants from washing off roads and reducing local flooding. Converting traditional streets to green streets can mitigate these issues. If you would like to know how your community can begin implementing a green streets project, Jersey Water Works (JWW) has two new publications that can help you along.
November 1, 2021 by Andrew TabasFlooding is a critical issue at all scales. Water engineers tell us that individual community members can work together to solve this problem by building rain gardens. Rain gardens, a type of green infrastructure, are designed to soak up water during storms. On properties with rain gardens, this means less pooled water and more groundwater recharge. The more properties adopt this practice, the more pressure is relieved from the area’s municipal separate storm sewer system or combined sewer system, helping to reduce the extent of flooding downstream.
September 13, 2021 by Donovan GaylesThe new stormwater rules that went into effect on March 2, 2021 require NJ municipalities to update their Stormwater Control Ordinances (SCOs) to require GI in new major development projects. We examined which municipalities had updated their SCOs as required and which had gone above and beyond the NJDEP’s minimum requirements. Out of the 43 towns surveyed and researched, 28 towns have updated their SCO and 24 have posted these updates on their respective websites.
by Gary BruneBased on research conducted by the Trenton Bureau of the USA TODAY Network in 2019, approximately 480 school buildings across a third of the state’s school districts recorded lead levels that exceeded 15 parts per billion, the action level set by the federal government. Given the severity of the problem and the significant cost of remediation, it was clear that state assistance was necessary to protect students and teachers.
Articles and Stories
This report and related case studies summarize the state of urban water infrastructure in New Jersey and how it affects residents and businesses. May 2014.
A one-hour webinar focused on consumer-facing communications strategies for water and sewer utilities. Thursday, May 14, 2015.
2015 Smart Growth Awards: Reactivation of a neglected landmark park in downtown Newark as a thriving public space.
2015 Smart Growth Awards: Plan for re-engineering 16 blocks of Washington Street in Hoboken to improve safety and comfort for cyclists and pedestrians
2015 Smart Growth Awards: Partnership of community organizations working to construct green and grey infrastructure to alleviate flooding in the city of Camden.
Indeed, the full value of Newark’s LSL replacement program lies not in its completion, but in what it suggests about what can be accomplished in communities across the state. Thus, following the completion of Newark’s nationally acclaimed program, the conversation across the state—and across the country—has pivoted from what happened in Newark to what should happen next.
Roadways throughout the nation are a significant source of pollution to local streams, rivers, and lakes. Stormwater runoff controls are essential for preventing pollutants from washing off roads and reducing local flooding. Converting traditional streets to green streets can mitigate these issues. If you would like to know how your community can begin implementing a green streets project, Jersey Water Works (JWW) has two new publications that can help you along.
Flooding is a critical issue at all scales. Water engineers tell us that individual community members can work together to solve this problem by building rain gardens. Rain gardens, a type of green infrastructure, are designed to soak up water during storms. On properties with rain gardens, this means less pooled water and more groundwater recharge. The more properties adopt this practice, the more pressure is relieved from the area’s municipal separate storm sewer system or combined sewer system, helping to reduce the extent of flooding downstream.
The new stormwater rules that went into effect on March 2, 2021 require NJ municipalities to update their Stormwater Control Ordinances (SCOs) to require GI in new major development projects. We examined which municipalities had updated their SCOs as required and which had gone above and beyond the NJDEP’s minimum requirements. Out of the 43 towns surveyed and researched, 28 towns have updated their SCO and 24 have posted these updates on their respective websites.
Based on research conducted by the Trenton Bureau of the USA TODAY Network in 2019, approximately 480 school buildings across a third of the state’s school districts recorded lead levels that exceeded 15 parts per billion, the action level set by the federal government. Given the severity of the problem and the significant cost of remediation, it was clear that state assistance was necessary to protect students and teachers.
This report and related case studies summarize the state of urban water infrastructure in New Jersey and how it affects residents and businesses. May 2014.
A one-hour webinar focused on consumer-facing communications strategies for water and sewer utilities. Thursday, May 14, 2015.
2015 Smart Growth Awards: Reactivation of a neglected landmark park in downtown Newark as a thriving public space.
2015 Smart Growth Awards: Plan for re-engineering 16 blocks of Washington Street in Hoboken to improve safety and comfort for cyclists and pedestrians
2015 Smart Growth Awards: Partnership of community organizations working to construct green and grey infrastructure to alleviate flooding in the city of Camden.
See all New Jersey Future Blog posts and articles in this category »
Reports, Presentations and Testimony
- 11/14/2019: Testimony on Lead Bills S3990, S4110, S4177
- 04/17/2019: Comments on Proposed New C1 Stream Designations
- 02/14/2019: Testimony on A2697-S1783
- 06/14/2018: Testimony on Lead in Drinking Water
- 05/10/2018: New Jersey Future Testimony on S1073
- 01/02/2018: Letter on A5339
- 11/29/2017: Year One Clean Water Agenda for the Murphy Administration
- 07/13/2017: Testimony on Drinking Water: A Crisis in Every State
- 06/08/2017: Recommendation on Water Quality Accountability Act
- Jersey Water Works Water Infrastructre Funding Report 06-2017 (Intern Report)
- 05/15/2017: Testimony on S2834 - Water Quality Accountability Act
- Lead in School Drinking Water
- 2013 Facing Our Future Report - Infrastructure Investments Necessary for Economic Success - Links to Water Infrastructure Resources
- Final Jersey City to Proacitvely Test Water Supply Press Release %282%29
- 2013 Facing Our Future Report - Infrastructure Investments Necessary for Economic Success
- Can We Depend on Our Water Infrastructure?
- Federal Urban Waters NGO News Release_12 3 2014
- New Jersey Future Stormwater Utilities Report 9-14 (Intern Report)
- Jeff Hughes: Financing Urban Water Infrastructure
- Agenda for Change
- Case Study: Paterson
- Case Study: Jersey City
- Case Study: Hoboken
- Case Study: Camden
- Ripple Effects
- Van Abs: Water Infrastructure in New Jersey's CSO Cities
