The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development awarded $15 million of the National Disaster Resilience Competition (NDR) funding to New Jersey for resilient housing and infrastructure projects in the wake of major disasters, such as Superstorm Sandy and Hurricane Irene. The competition was a two-phase process that competitively awarded almost $1 billion to states and communities affected by major disasters between 2011 and 2013. Administered by the NJ DEP, these funds have been used to advance regional planning initiatives known as Resilient NJ and to develop a Stormwater Infrastructure Toolkit (Toolkit).  Both projects aim to design infrastructure that takes into account climate change which supports the Protecting Against Climate Threats (PACT) initiative.

The Toolkit provides a set of best practices for stormwater infrastructure operations and maintenance, asset management and stormwater maintenance jobs training that will be piloted in the Meadowlands region of Bergen County. Ultimately, the Department of Environmental Protection hopes the toolkit will serve as a resource for other New Jersey counties, regions and for jurisdictions nationwide.

The Toolkit provides a set of voluntary best practices for stormwater infrastructure operations and maintenance (O&M)/asset management, and stormwater maintenance jobs training. Components of the Toolkit will be piloted in the Meadowlands region for feedback and improvements. The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) is leading this effort nationwide and hopes the Toolkit will serve as a resource for other counties, regions and states. This project supports the DEP’s first priority to reduce and respond to climate change through implementing best practices for stormwater management. It is another step towards creating a stronger and fairer New Jersey.