by Jay Watson, Co-Executive Director, New Jersey Conservation Foundation
Across the world, precipitation events are changing our lives and the landscapes around us. The ocean is washing ashore in monumental storm surges and rivers are swallowing up roadways and homes. From Hurricane Helene to Hurricane Milton, we are all watching what happens when storms become larger and more powerful.
Studies show increases in precipitation across New Jersey over the last 20 years, with a projected 33% increase in precipitation by 2100. The reality is that we can expect extreme precipitation events to continue, even worsen, in the years ahead.
Managing stormwater that flows from rooftops, lawns, and pavement requires ingenuity and infrastructure. When New Jersey was colonized, cities grew in river floodplains, since travel was usually by boat. River channels were confined and bulkheaded, tributaries were buried in pipes, and marshes that once absorbed floods were filled in for industry and housing. Over the past century, population exploded and rural New Jersey landscapes became paved over by suburbs. Water-absorbing forests and fields have been transformed into homes, malls, parking lots, highways, and warehouses. The more we build, the more stormwater we have trouble managing, and now we suffer the legacy of choosing to live within our rivers.
Much of New Jersey’s water infrastructure is old and obsolete, and repairing it is costly. Especially concerning are the combined sewage and wastewater systems in 21 of New Jersey’s older cities. These systems often back up during heavy rains, dumping raw sewage into rivers which then flood into basements and backyards, posing serious threats to the environment and public health.
“If you live in a combined sewer community, most rain events will result in raw sewage discharge in your rivers and some could also result in sewage backing up into your homes,” says Andrew Kricun, managing director of Moonshot Missions, a nonprofit focused on providing technical assistance to water utilities in underserved communities. Kricun spent his previous years working with Camden’s combined sewer system, where he spearheaded the sewer plant’s expansion and made crucial improvements to the infrastructure.
Kricun says that federal and state funding is needed to make sure that our lower income cities are not bearing the burden of these old, historic, outdated ways of managing stormwater. In addition, he calls for stormwater fees to be charged to owners of larger areas of impervious surface so that they pay their fair share of the cost associated with the stormwater that their impervious surface creates. “This is a social justice and environmental emergency which needs to be addressed as soon, and as equitably, as possible,” Kricun says.
The state has taken action towards managing its increasing volume of stormwater runoff. In 2019, the Stormwater Utility Law, officially known as the “Clean Stormwater and Flood Reduction Act” was signed into law. This Act gives local and county governments the authority to create stormwater utilities and dedicate funding specifically to address stormwater management problems.
But stormwater problems are expensive and complex. Flooding is inevitable in communities located in floodplains, and water does not recognize our town borders. Human behavior in towns located upstream affects what happens to communities downstream.
“People do not recognize that they are a part of the problem,” says Chris Obropta, Ph.D., Rutgers University, extension specialist, and director of the New Jersey Water Resources Research Institute. “And they need to understand that what they do on their property contributes to flooding in neighboring towns.”
In May 2024, New Brunswick became the first municipality in New Jersey to create a stormwater utility. New Brunswick officials, like Kricun, questioned whether the financial burden for stormwater management should fall on the community.
Equitable stormwater management means that contributors pay their fair share based on how much impervious cover they have. Revenue from the fees can be used for installation of green infrastructure projects like rain gardens and tree trenches, as well as other stormwater management strategies. A stormwater utility could have a big impact in communities that are dependent on combined sewer systems, which are often low-income, urban neighborhoods.
Obropta believes that teaching individuals how to deal with stormwater through his free program at Rutgers University, Green Infrastructure Champions, can improve negative impacts of stormwater on communities.
“Every New Jersey homeowner should have a rain garden and a rain barrel to harvest water,” says Obropta. “It can be very beautiful, filters the air, and provides pollinator habitat for bees and butterflies. You can build one yourself at home.”
To learn how to build a rain garden on your property and even become an advocate who teaches your town how to build green infrastructure, visit http://water.rutgers.edu/Projects/GreenInfrastructureChampions/GIC.html. Registration opens for the 2025 training program in November.
There are also statewide opportunities to use your voice. Earlier this year, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) proposed a new series of rules called “Resilient Environments and Landscapes,” or REAL. The REAL rules aim to adjust coastal flood hazard areas, improve permitting processes, reduce flooding by adding stormwater management practices, and ensure development in coastal communities is resilient and built to withstand future storms. The DEP is actively holding a comment period to hear from the public about these rules. To learn more, visit https://dep.nj.gov/njpact/.
The New Jersey League of Conservation Voters and the Association of New Jersey Environmental Commissions are currently offering a virtual workshop series about stormwater management. Through these workshops, participants can gain valuable insights into how stormwater management can safeguard communities, support sustainable development, and contribute to a cleaner, more resilient environment. Visit this link to register: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfyVsbhmLYqpipo7impzWZZqjJZ60bjxUICH8kLOABsltjb7Q/viewform
And for information about preserving New Jersey’s land and natural resources visit the New Jersey Conservation Foundation website at www.njconservation.org.
