New Jersey’s aging water infrastructure puts the future of safe drinking water disbursement and responsible stormwater management at risk.

In February of 2022, the Coalition’s call for significant investment in water infrastructure was answered when Governor Murphy’s office announced that the State Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and the New Jersey Infrastructure Bank planned to develop a Water Infrastructure Investment Plan funded by federal dollars from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

A well-funded program would provide safe drinking water, well-managed flood and stormwaters, and, in turn, cleaner waterways. As the plan is navigated through the development and budget process, CDRW and its partners will advocate for significant state and federal funding that will prioritize environmental justice communities and will support lead pipe replacement, address combined sewer overflows, manage harmful algal blooms, and control emerging water contaminants.

As climate change leads to greater threats to New Jersey communities and greater needs for water infrastructure in the state, the Coalition will also push for upgrades that address climate change and climate resiliency.

The Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC) is a regulatory body operated by the four basin states and the federal government. The Commission monitors water quality, conducts resource planning, and manages drinking water supply for over 13.3 million people.

The DRBC was formed in 1988 when the states and the federal government reached an agreement that they would allocate sufficient funds to the commission each year to support the Commission’s work and protect the well-being of the Delaware River Basin and the communities within it.

Last year, CDRW and its partners were able to secure New Jersey’s “fair share” in the state budget, and the Coalition’s goal for fiscal year 2023 will be to ensure that the state continues its commitment to this crucial program.

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New Jersey’s DEP is responsible for the implementation of Clean Water Act requirements. Some regulatory gaps and loopholes within the program’s administration threaten water quality in the state and in downstream communities. These issues include weakened headwaters protection, insufficient regulations addressing surface and groundwater interconnectedness, discharge permitting which neglects to take cumulative impacts on the local community in to account, and the lack of protection for recreational use of recreational waters.

The Coalition is working to promote New Jersey water quality regulations including Freshwater Wetlands Rules, Water Quality Management Plan, consistency determinations for the New Jersey Highlands, and Flood Hazard Rules which will lead to overall quality improvements in the Delaware River Watershed and in watersheds state-wide.

The Highlands Council and the Pinelands Commission are responsible for governing the New Jersey Highlands and Pinelands, ensuring the protection of the two major drinking water sources in the state. These government entities are defined by the power and people they are given to manage the resources. It has been clear, in recent years, that the Pinelands Commission has weakened it’s focus on water conservation, violating provisions of the Pinelands Protection Act and the Pinelands Comprehensive Master Plan (CMP) by approving several developments in the area. While Governor Murphy has been able to nominate qualified individuals to ensure proper management of the commission, their confirmation processes were tied up in the Senate.

As a fierce advocate for water quality, CDRW and its members are urging the Legislature to hasten the confirmation of qualified nominees who are committed to the wellbeing of the state’s drinking water. The Coalition is also advocating for the confirmation of qualified candidates to serve on the Highlands Council, supporting the Highlands and planning for the area’s protection.

It continues to become abundantly clear that many communities in New Jersey are at great risk as symptoms of climate change have included sea level rise, greater storm intensity, and increased flooding.

The state’s Hazard Mitigation Plan, which will be updated in 2022, outlines strategies to reduce risks from hazards and guides the prioritization of future project funding. While some significant steps have been made to improve stormwater management at the local level, CDRW will advocate for the updated Hazard Mitigation Plan to include the implementation of green infrastructure projects in vulnerable communities around New Jersey.

These projects will lift up natural solutions to protecting communities by managing and diverting stormwater and flooding while also protecting water quality in the streams, lakes, and rivers across the state.

Recent years have shown that New Jersey is at the forefront of sustainable and responsible recycling and plastic reduction policies. The Coalition has celebrated numerous successes in the state, most recently the implementation of a law banning plastic bags and polystyrene foam food service products.

In 2022, CDRW and its partners will begin to advocate for extended producer responsibility (EPR) legislation which would require manufacturing companies to be accountable for the waste they produce in the form of packaging. Producers would need to create or invest in a program that would support the recycling of the products they distribute in order to reduce the amount of waste entering landfills and streams, but also to incentivize the development of more sustainable packaging solutions.

Additionally, the Coalition will continue to work with partners in the Legislature and beyond to imagine ways to keep New Jersey engaged in new plastic reduction policies that would reduce the amount of manmade chemical toxins such as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and continue to reduce single-use plastic products in the state.

New Jersey is one of 21 states without any law or regulation for flood disclosure. Sellers and lessors are not required to inform buyers or renters about flood risk on the property, including any flood history or weather flood insurance would be required.

As climate change has been proven to increase the risk of flooding, particularly on coastal communities or lowland areas, New Jersey citizens are put at risk by the lack of any flood or flood risk disclosure when looking to buy or rent property.

The Coalition and its partners will advocate for legislative action to ensure that property owners and renters know the risks of living in a floodplain and that communities in floodplains, which in many cases disproportionately include lower income communities and other environmental justice communities, are protected from the rising cost of flood insurance and are informed of their potential climate risks.