Public Hearing Archives

Public Hearing Archives

Clean Water Council Public Hearing 2024

PFAS Water Cycle

For the 2024 public hearing, the NJ Clean Water Council chose to solicit public input regarding environmental impacts of the PFAS family of chemicals, also known as “forever chemicals”. The objective of this year’s hearing, held on Tuesday, December 17, 2024, 10:00AM -1:00PM (virtual), was to focus on challenges and potential and known solutions to better address PFAS in the water cycle (including biosolids).

To further advance the Department’s mission to protect our waters from PFAS, the Clean Water Council solicited public testimony focused on this topic. Written comments are due by January 15, 2025. Information on how the Division of Water Quality is addressing PFAS in surface water, ground water and residuals can be found on our website at https://njdepwptest.net/dwq/pfas/.

2022-23

Addressing PFAS Compounds in Residuals

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2020-21

Permitting of PFAS Compounds in NJPDES Discharges to Surface Water

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2018-19

Using Stormwater Utilities to Address Water Quality and Flooding

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2017

Moving Stormwater Pollution Improvements to the Next Level

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2016

New Jersey’s Municipal Stormwater NJPDES Permit Renewal

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2015

Moving Beyond the Barnegat Bay Watershed: Using Partnerships to Improve Water Quality in NJ

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Archives (2014-2003)

Clean Water Council Public Hearing 2022-23

Addressing PFAS Compounds in Residuals

For its 2023 public hearing, the NJ Clean Water Council continued to solicit public input about environmental impacts of the PFAS family of chemicals, also known as “forever chemicals”. This year’s hearing, held on January 19, 2023, from 1 to 3 PM (virtual), addressed the management of PFAS in residuals (sludge/biosolids). Residuals are byproducts of the drinking water and wastewater treatment processes and are regulated through NJPDES permits. Through the treatment processes, water and wastewater containing PFAS may lead to PFAS in residuals.

In January 2021, the Clean Water Council held a public hearing entitled “Permitting of PFAS Compounds in NJPDES Discharges to Surface Water”. Since this hearing, the Department has required all industrial dischargers to surface water and significant indirect users (“SIU”) to complete a “PFAS Source Evaluation and Reduction Requirements Survey”. Further, industrial dischargers permitted by the Department have been required to sample wastewater for the presence of PFAS. Survey responses and results of the data received to-date can be found at https://nj.gov/dep/dwq/pfas.htm.

To further advance the Department’s mission to protect our waters from PFAS, the Clean Water Council solicited public testimony focused on how to address the presence of PFAS in residuals and its potential impact on management alternatives. Information on NJ Residuals Production by Management Mode may be found at https://www.nj.gov/dep/dwq/sludge.htm.

Clean Water Council Public Hearing 2018-19

Using Stormwater Utilities to Address Water Quality and Flooding

In March 2019, Governor Murphy signed into law the Clean Stormwater and Flood Reduction Act, which authorizes, but does not require, municipalities, counties, and certain authorities to establish stormwater utilities. Jurisdictions across the country have established stormwater utilities as a mechanism to improve the operation, maintenance, and reinvestment in stormwater infrastructure. As local governments in New Jersey begin to evaluate the legislation and the possibility of establishing a stormwater utility in their jurisdiction, the New Jersey Clean Water Council will hold a public hearing on how stormwater utilities may be used to improve water quality and address localized flooding in New Jersey.

The New Jersey Clean Water Council (NJCWC) is seeking public testimony on the practices and approaches of stormwater utilities and how they may be used to help address local flooding, stormwater management and water quality concerns.

 

Friday, October 25, 2019, 1:00 pm – 4:30 pm
NJDEP Public Hearing Room
401 East State Street, Trenton, New Jersey 08625

 

Clean Water Council Public Hearing 2017

Moving Stormwater Pollution Improvements to the Next Level

 

Thursday, October 19, 2017, 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm
NJDEP Public Hearing Room
401 East State Street, Trenton, New Jersey 08625

 

Clean Water Council Public Hearing 2016

New Jersey’s Municipal Stormwater NJPDES Permit Renewal

 

Tuesday, April 12, 2016, 1 pm-4:00 pm
New Jersey Forensic Science Technology Center
1200 Negron Drive, Hamilton, New Jersey

 

 

Archives

More Information

2014

Clean Water Council Public Hearing 2014

Solving Sewer Overflows: Getting Ahead of the Flow

 

Friday, December 12, 2014 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection – Public Hearing Room
401 East State Street, Trenton, New Jersey 08625

 

2013

Clean Water Council Public Hearing 2013

Greening New Jersey’s Water Infrastructure

Tuesday April 9, 2013, 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection – Public Hearing Room
401 East State Street, Trenton, New Jersey 08625

Available Downloads:

2010

Clean Water Council Public Hearing 2010

 

Water Infrastructure Management and Financing, Recommendations of the Clean Water Council

 

Tuesday, October 12, 2010 9 am – noon
New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection – Public Hearing Room
401 East State Street, Trenton, New Jersey 08625

 

New Jersey’s water infrastructure – water supply, wastewater, stormwater – is aging, with failures being common news. The New Jersey Clean Water Council held a public hearing on October 12, 2010 regarding its Draft Recommendations for Water Infrastructure Management and Financing. Based upon the testimony from this hearing, the Council unanimously adopted its final recommendations on November 9, 2010, and submitted them to the Commissioner of the NJ Department of Environmental Protection, the President of the Board of Public Utilities and the Commissioner of the NJ Department of Community Affairs. All information regarding the public hearing and final recommendations can be downloaded from the links below.

 

2009

Clean Water Council Public Hearing 2009

 

Water Policy and Climate Change

 

Monday, December 7, 2009, 9 am – noon
New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection – Public Hearing Room
401 East State Street, Trenton, New Jersey 08625

 

How could climate trends affect water quality management in New Jersey?

 

The Clean Water Council of New Jersey is seeking public testimony on the risks posed to water quality and water infrastructure by climate change and on effective means to adaptively manage the risks. Climate change is causing warmer air and surface water temperatures, more intense storms intermixed with longer periods of dry weather, and rising sea levels. While the contributory causes can be debated, the potential impacts of climate change on water resources and related infrastructure need to be identified and properly managed.

 

Specifically the Council seeks testimony on the following questions:

  1. What are the high priority risks to clean water posed by the increasing variability of climate and weather events?
  2. What changes to water management policies are needed to increase flexibility and adaptive management, and how will NJ meet the cost?

 

Specific recommendations on the following issue areas, as well as others, are welcomed:

  • Stormwater
  • Wastewater
  • Drinking water
  • Instream/pass-by flows
  • Agriculture and green industries
  • Water infrastructure

 

To register to speak, contact Geraldine Skrajewski at 1-609-292-8961 or Geraldine.Skrajewski@dep.state.nj.us.

 

2008

Clean Water Council Public Hearing 2008

 

Water Infrastructure: Sustainable Funding

 

Monday, December 8, 2008 9:00 am – 1:00 pm
New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection – Public Hearing Room
401 East State Street, Trenton, New Jersey 08625

 

The Clean Water Council of New Jersey seeks public testimony on an issue critical to both environmental protection and economic vitality – water infrastructure financing, specifically the issues of funding for capital investments, rehabilitation, operations and maintenance for water supply, wastewater and stormwater infrastructure. The Council has formulated five questions for public consideration and response. Based upon the testimony at this hearing, the Council will develop a set of recommendations for the NJDEP Commissioner. Therefore, the members seek comments from interested persons so that they can recommend improvements to New Jersey’s approach to water infrastructure financing.

 

1. Funding for Urban Infrastructure

 

State policy targets urban areas for development and redevelopment but these places need multi-billion dollar investments to address combined sewer overflows (CSOs) and leaking and deteriorated pipe systems. Yet these places often lack the rate base to finance needed capital improvements without imposing an excessive fiscal burden on customers. What types of public and public/private sustainable funding can address these needs on a meaningful scale? How should it be structured to encourage local participation?

 

2. Sustainable Pricing and Management

 

Some local water/wastewater utility authorities are financially self sustaining and have the resources needed to maintain and upgrade their systems without borrowing. Others could become so if they employed better management techniques such as full-cost pricing, life-cycle cost analysis, and other asset management techniques, maintained appropriate capital reserves, tapped privately-funded maintenance reserves for new infrastructure, and charged appropriate rates. How can these practices be encouraged or required through financial incentives, state regulations, or other means?

 

3. Maintenance of Adequate Local Reserves

 

State law and regulations limit local utilities’ ability to set aside adequate financial reserves for ongoing maintenance and needed upgrades and expansions. In fact, it appears that some local utilities are operating as revenue sources for local governments. What legal and/or regulatory changes are needed to ensure that local utilities can maintain adequate capital and emergency reserves and so that utility rate-based revenues are exclusively used for utility functions including water resources, water supply protection and environmental infrastructure improvement projects?

 

4. Financing Mechanisms for Stormwater Management

 

Effective stormwater management protects water quality and quantity and can reduce loads on wastewater treatment facilities. However, stormwater is the only major water infrastructure system that lacks a utility structure and the rate-based revenues that would allow proper management. What mechanisms could provide a financial structure for stormwater management and how could they be authorized?

 

5. Financial Incentives for Innovative Technologies

 

The cost to build, operate and maintain water infrastructure can be reduced through innovative technologies that conserve water, encourage water reuse, and use energy efficiently. Meanwhile, development best management practices that reclaim stormwater on-site can reduce the load on wastewater plants. How can financing tools encourage and/or require greater reliance on these approaches?

 

2007

Clean Water Council Public Hearing 2007

 

New Jersey’s Water Infrastructure

 

Tuesday, October 23, 2007 9:00 am – 1:00 pm
New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection – Public Hearing Room
401 East State Street, Trenton, New Jersey 08625

 

The Clean Water Council of New Jersey seeks public testimony on an issue critical to both environmental protection and economic vitality – water infrastructure objectives, needs, financing and management. Water supply, wastewater and stormwater infrastructure are all being considered. The Council has formulated eight questions for public consideration and response. Based upon the testimony at this hearing, the Council will develop a set of recommendations for the NJDEP Commissioner. Therefore, the members seek comments from interested persons so that they can recommend improvements to New Jersey’s approach to water infrastructure issues.

 

  • Water Infrastructure Objectives
    What social, economic, environmental benefits do we want from New Jersey’s water infrastructure, now and into the future, and what desired benefits are we not seeing now? What emerging issues should be addressed? Is New Jersey’s water infrastructure adequate to support desired growth, including urban revitalization? If not, what improvements are needed and where? What are the risks to New Jersey’s future of not achieving or maintaining these benefits?
  • Critical Information
    What critical information do we need, but don’t have, to understand the status, trends, benefits and costs of water infrastructure performance and asset management?
  • Infrastructure Impacts
    What impact is our existing infrastructure situation having upon energy utilization, smart growth, and economic viability? What impact is our infrastructure having upon water quality, water resources and public health?
  • Infrastructure Standards
    What performance or service standards are appropriate for water infrastructure? Will meeting these standards require significant changes in how we approach or perceive infrastructure needs?
  • Infrastructure Management
    How do we ensure proper asset management over time, so that present practices are cost effective and do not impose unsupportable burdens on future users or generations? What future costs are associated with delayed decision making on infrastructure repairs?
  • Infrastructure Needs
    What are the greatest current or projected shortfalls in water infrastructure capacity and benefits, and why? If improvements are required to existing infrastructure, what are the costs and how can they be financed?
  • Infrastructure Priorities
    Competition for funding is inevitable. What water infrastructure priorities should exist, and why?
  • Paying for Infrastructure
    What are the most appropriate, equitable and viable methods for funding water infrastructure needs? How should the public’s willingness to pay and ability to pay be addressed? A re the funding mechanisms appropriate to the infrastructure agencies we have, and if not what other options should be considered? If you were to focus on the single most important issue affecting New Jersey’s water resources in the near future, what would it be?

 

2006

Clean Water Council Public Hearing 2006

 

Improving Water Quality Planning & Management

 

Tuesday, October 10, 2006 9:00 am – 12:00 noon
New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection – Public Hearing Room
401 East State Street, Trenton, New Jersey 08625

 

The Clean Water Council seeks to learn how the people of New Jersey would like to see the Water Quality Management Paln (WQMP) Rules improved. They have formulated eight questions that the focus on controversial sections of those Rules. Based upon the testimony at this hearing, the Council will develop a set of recommendations for the DEP Commissioner. Therefore, the members seek comments from interested parties so that they can recommend improvements to the WQMP Rules and thus facilitate the process whereby revised rules will be proposed and then adopted.

 

 

2005

Clean Water Council Public Hearing 2005

 

Clean Water for New Jersey: Public Perspectives on Critical Issues for the Next Five Years

 

Monday, October 31, 2005 9:00 am – 1:00 pm
New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection – Public Hearing Room
401 East State Street, Trenton, New Jersey 08625

 

The Clean Water Council and the Water Supply Advisory Council seek to learn what the people of New Jersey consider the most important issues needing action by the State within the next five years in order to protect and sustain our State’s water resources while supporting economic vitality. The questions, under review for this public hearing are:

 

  • If you were to focus on the single most important issue affecting New Jersey’s water resources in the near future, what would it be?
  • What are the key reasons why this issue is so critical?
  • What policies would you propose to address this critical issue?
  • How will implementing your proposal affect other environmental media (e.g. air, water, land uses, fish and wildlife)?
  • Is there a specific regional issue that needs more attention?

 

 

2004

Clean Water Council Public Hearing 2004

 

Meeting the Challenges of Stormwater Management

 

Thursday, October 14, 2004 9:00 am – 12:00 pm
New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection – Public Hearing Room
401 East State Street, Trenton, New Jersey 08625

 

The purpose of the panel is to help the Clean Water Council (and the audience) understand the institutional, financial and political implications of New Jersey’s new direction in stormwater management, so that the Council can make recommendations to the Commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection. This program is experimental in two ways. First, we are focusing on the financial, institutional and political complexities of stormwater management, rather than on legal issues or technical BMPs. Second, there will be a planned facilitated, round-robin discussion among experts as the primary method of gaining insight into these issues, with public comments following the panel discussion.

 

2003

Clean Water Council Public Hearing 2003

 

Reclaimed Water for Beneficial Reuse

Sponsored by NJ Clean Water Council and NJ Water Supply Advisory Council

 

Wednesday April 16, 2003 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm
The Holiday Inn – Monroe
390 Forsgate Drive, Jamesburg, NJ

 

Reclaimed wastewater, which was once considered a waste for disposal, is now a resource desired by commercial entities, municipalities, county parks, and various recreational developments. N.J.A.C. 7:14A-2.1 established a responsibility for the Department to encourage and promote Reclaimed Water for Beneficial Reuse (RWBR) and water conservation. RWBR involves taking what was once considered waste product, giving it a high degree of treatment and using the resulting high-quality reclaimed water for beneficial uses. The importance of RWBR programs first came to light during the drought of 1999 and again during the drought of 2002, when the state experienced firsthand the importance of protecting and conserving our portable water supplies.