In early April 2023, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a major change in the allocation of federal funds provided through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) to remove lead service lines (LSLs), replacing a distribution scheme that failed to properly recognize states with older housing stock where the lion’s share of LSLs are likely to exist. This was welcome news to New Jersey, as the state’s allocation will more than double from 1.7% to 3.8%, increasing annual funding for LSL replacement by $35 million (73%), from $48 million to $83 million.
Author Archive
Eliminating Lead Service Lines: Filling the Funding Gap, One Drop at a Time
Thursday, May 11th, 2023Lead in Drinking Water in Public Schools: State Assistance Accelerates the Solution in New Jersey
Monday, September 13th, 2021Based on research conducted by the Trenton Bureau of the USA TODAY Network in 2019, approximately 480 school buildings across a third of the state’s school districts recorded lead levels that exceeded 15 parts per billion, the action level set by the federal government. Given the severity of the problem and the significant cost of remediation, it was clear that state assistance was necessary to protect students and teachers.
Oh, Sweet Relief! Stormwater Utilities as an Equitable Tool to Solve Flooding and Pollution
Friday, June 25th, 2021When we discuss the attributes of our favorite communities, chronic flooding or unswimmable lakes and streams do not make the list. However, many municipalities in New Jersey confront those problems and, for at least some of them, the creation of a stormwater utility could be the key to a more sustainable, prosperous future. In this session entitled Oh, Sweet Relief! Stormwater Utilities as an Equitable Took to Solve Flooding and Pollution, held during the 2021 Planning and Redevelopment Conference, co-hosted by New Jersey Future and the New Jersey Chapter of the American Planning Association, four speakers covered the basics of stormwater utilities, including typical program design, fee structures, and credits for stormwater mitigation projects.
Savvy Stormwater Strategies: How Planning at Every Level Can Help New Jersey Weather the Storm
Friday, June 25th, 2021A four-speaker panel, during the session Savvy Stormwater Strategies: How Planning at Every Level Can Help New Jersey Weather the Storm, held at the 2021 Planning and Redevelopment Conference co-hosted by New Jersey Future and the New Jersey Chapter of the American Planning Association, explored this issue from a regulatory, research, municipal, and policy standpoint. The session provided practical guidance on strategies to corral runoff and increase resiliency in the face of climate change, and identified important next steps to consider.
New Jersey Future Urges Congressional Delegation to Secure Funding for Lead Service Line Replacement
Friday, April 30th, 2021New Jersey Future sent the following letter on April 27, 2021 to New Jersey’s Congressional Delegation recommending a federal funding allocation to support lead service line replacement programs.
Stormwater Utilities—Peeling Back the Onion
Monday, November 9th, 2020How much do municipalities and counties currently spend on stormwater infrastructure, and how receptive are they to this new concept? A new New Jersey Department of Community Affairs survey aims to find out.
Where are the lead service lines in New Jersey?
Thursday, October 3rd, 2019New Jersey, along with states across the country, is confronting a public health threat: lead in drinking water. The primary source is lead service lines (LSLs), hose-sized pipes containing some amount of lead that connect water mains under the streets to buildings. But which communities are most at risk?
