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 Andrea Sapal (asapalnjfutureorg) 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 Patricia Dunkak (pdunkaknjfutureorg) 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
September 20, 2023 by Brooke SchwartzmanIn 2020, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) updated the Stormwater Management Rules, which now require that municipalities incorporate green infrastructure into major development projects. In many areas of the state, this relatively new policy change has meant a significant departure from the way that stormwater management was approached previously.
July 18, 2023 by Zeke Weston“It doesn’t matter if we make every vehicle electric, and it doesn’t matter if we turn of all power plants; climate change will still get worse,” exclaimed Shawn LaTourette, the Commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP), during the 2023 Planning and Redevelopment Conference plenary, The State of Planning and Redevelopment in New Jersey, co-sponsored by New Jersey Future and the NJ Chapter of the American Planning Association.
July 17, 2023 by Cassie Bolinger“Water is the only utility you ingest,” noted Mark McDonough, President of New Jersey American Water, as he reflected on the serious responsibility that water utilities have to protect the health of the communities they serve. To deliver on this responsibility, water utilities must address ever-changing environmental challenges.
by Patricia Dunkak“Watersheds are not political and do not follow political delineations,” said Mayor Andrew Nowick from the City of Lambertville at the 2023 NJ Planning and Redevelopment Conference (NJPRC). As flooding increases due to increased intense rain events and aging stormwater infrastructure, it is more important than ever to plan ahead to protect all New Jerseyans in the face of climate change.
May 11, 2023 by Gary BruneIn early April 2023, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a major change in the allocation of federal funds provided through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) to remove lead service lines (LSLs), replacing a distribution scheme that failed to properly recognize states with older housing stock where the lion’s share of LSLs are likely to exist. This was welcome news to New Jersey, as the state’s allocation will more than double from 1.7% to 3.8%, increasing annual funding for LSL replacement by $35 million (73%), from $48 million to $83 million.
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.
In 2020, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) updated the Stormwater Management Rules, which now require that municipalities incorporate green infrastructure into major development projects. In many areas of the state, this relatively new policy change has meant a significant departure from the way that stormwater management was approached previously.
“It doesn’t matter if we make every vehicle electric, and it doesn’t matter if we turn of all power plants; climate change will still get worse,” exclaimed Shawn LaTourette, the Commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP), during the 2023 Planning and Redevelopment Conference plenary, The State of Planning and Redevelopment in New Jersey, co-sponsored by New Jersey Future and the NJ Chapter of the American Planning Association.
“Water is the only utility you ingest,” noted Mark McDonough, President of New Jersey American Water, as he reflected on the serious responsibility that water utilities have to protect the health of the communities they serve. To deliver on this responsibility, water utilities must address ever-changing environmental challenges.
“Watersheds are not political and do not follow political delineations,” said Mayor Andrew Nowick from the City of Lambertville at the 2023 NJ Planning and Redevelopment Conference (NJPRC). As flooding increases due to increased intense rain events and aging stormwater infrastructure, it is more important than ever to plan ahead to protect all New Jerseyans in the face of climate change.
In early April 2023, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a major change in the allocation of federal funds provided through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) to remove lead service lines (LSLs), replacing a distribution scheme that failed to properly recognize states with older housing stock where the lion’s share of LSLs are likely to exist. This was welcome news to New Jersey, as the state’s allocation will more than double from 1.7% to 3.8%, increasing annual funding for LSL replacement by $35 million (73%), from $48 million to $83 million.
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
