It is a multibillion dollar problem and a major reason why most of New Jersey’s water fails to comply with federal clean water standards.
But with a price tag projected to run at least $8 billion, how to deal with stormwater runoff has largely defied solution in New Jersey. Rectifying the situation means fixing the combined sewer-overflow systems where runoff from storms mixes with untreated sewage to foul rivers, streams, and bays.
In a bid to deal with the longstanding problem, legislators are using a tactic already in place in approximately 1,500 jurisdictions around the country. They are moving on a bill (S-762) to allow dozens of urban areas to create stormwater utilities to help manage the runoff flowing into waterways.
The approach has been tried before in New Jersey, but never made it into law. “It’s a way to fund infrastructure improvements with regard to stormwater,’’ said Sen. Bob Smith (D-Middlesex).
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Twenty-five cities and utilities here are in the process of obtaining permits from the Department of Environmental Protection and developing five-year plans to deal with the pollution from the systems in their communities. Eventually, the problem is only going to be solved by a combination of structural improvements and so-called green strategies, such as setting up open spaces to capture runoff before it spills into waterways, according to environmentalists.
Creation of an authority may help the communities more effectively deal with the problem, according to Drew Tompkins of the New Jersey League of Conservation Voters. “It increases the stability and predictability of funds,’’ he said.
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