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DEP Awards $4 Million in Grants to County Environmental Health Partners
(05/26)TRENTON – Commissioner Bradley M. Campbell today announced that the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) will allocate over $4 million in grants to county environmental health agencies under the County Environmental Health Act (CEHA). DEP awarded funds to health agencies in all 21 New Jersey counties and to the Department of Environmental Sciences Air and Noise Training Program at Rutgers University.
"For over 25 years, CEHA has fostered partnerships between the state and local agencies for the protection of public health and the environment," said Commissioner Campbell. "County health agencies are closely attuned to local environmental needs; and I am grateful that we have been able to increase the funding by 16% this year."
The 2005 CEHA grants focus on compliance assistance and emergency response. For example, the Monmouth County Health Department will use a portion of its CEHA funds to properly dispose of overstocked chemicals from public school science labs. Since 1986, over 36,000 pounds of hazardous materials from school laboratories have been disposed of through Monmouth County's Household Hazardous Waste program.
CEHA funds also will enable Monmouth County to help municipalities to comply with DEP's new stormwater requirements. This outreach project also will explain the potential adverse impacts of improper land use.
In addition, Bergen and Essex counties will use CEHA grants implement a Right to Know Pilot Project, which will follow up on facilities that have failed to file DEP's requisite Community Right to Know survey. The survey is an annual inventory of environmental hazardous substances that are stored, produced or used at facilities in the State of New Jersey. The survey gathers essential information for both employees at these facilities and local emergency response personnel.
DEP awarded grants to support Rutgers University's specialized training courses for county health inspectors to investigate noise and air pollution complaints.
Governor Brendan Byrne enacted the County Environmental Health Act in 1978 and the state has since provided an annual grant to each county health agency. Under CEHA, DEP certifies these health agencies to conduct environmental health programs that address air, noise, solid waste, and water pollution as well as hazardous materials emergency response. In cooperation with DEP, county health agencies also routinely monitor coastal and fresh water bathing beaches, investigate environmental concerns, and use Geographic Information Systems and Global Positioning System technologies for environmental planning and mapping.
The chart below details the amount of funding awarded to each county through CEHA.
| County |
CEHA |
| Atlantic |
$159,500 |
| Bergen |
256,000 |
| Burlington |
227,000 |
| Camden |
250,000 |
| Cape May |
130,000 |
| Cumberland |
150,000 |
| Essex |
262,000 |
| Gloucester |
165,000 |
| Hudson |
254,000 |
| Hunterdon |
150,000 |
| Mercer |
165,000 |
| Middlesex |
185,488 |
| Monmouth |
213,000 |
| Morris |
161,950 |
| Ocean |
188,570 |
| Passaic |
221,000 |
| Salem |
186,000 |
| Somerset |
165,000 |
| Sussex |
152,500 |
| Union |
245,000 |
| Warren |
162,500 |
| Rutgers Noise |
22,730 |
| Rutgers Air |
32,150 |
| TOTAL |
$4,104,388 |
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OFFICIAL SITE OF THE STATE OF NEW JERSEY