Vol. 3 No. 1 June 1995
A Newsletter About New Jersey's Water Quality Programs

For the past two decades, DEP personnel have been contributing to a unique inventory of municipal wastewater facilities and their associated construction needs - the EPA Clean Water Needs Survey. The upcoming 1996 Needs Survey, the 12th Survey since enactment of the Clean Water Act (CWA) Amendments of 1972, began this spring.

This Needs Survey Report is required biennially by Sections 205(a) and 516(b)(1) of the CWA. It provides Congress with a detailed estimate of the capital costs to construct, upgrade and/or expand publicly owned municipal wastewater treatment facilities. Other eligible activities necessary to comply with the requirements of the CWA include stormwater, nonpoint source, and estuarine programs.

In the 1992 Needs Survey, New Jersey ranked 6th in the nation with $4.759 billion in documented needs, including $1.958 billion for secondary treatment, $269 million for advanced treatment, $227 million for infiltration/inflow sewer corrections, $328 million for replacement/rehabilitation sewers, $402 million for new collector sewers, $275 million for new interceptor sewers, $1.29 billion for combined sewer overflows, $7 million for storm water projects and $3 million for nonpoint source, ground water, estuarine, and wetland programs. For stormwater and nonpoint source, the estimates exclude operation and maintenance (O&M) costs since these costs are ineligible for State Revolving Funds (SRF).

The 1996 Needs Survey will focus on the expanded CWA funding eligibilities under the SRF authorized in the CWA 1987 Amendments. Since Congress uses these survey results to create the allotment formula for distributing SRF funding among the states, it is important to provide a comprehensive and accurate account of New Jersey's clean water needs. This helps to secure adequate funding for implementing solutions to pollution problems.

Municipal Wastewater Assistance will be sending out survey forms this summer to local government units and consulting engineers to request assistance in providing updated and accurate information on anticipated clean water projects (even if not applying for SRF funding). For more information on the Needs Survey or to be sure that your project is included, please contact David Shu, P.E., or Charles Parkell at (609) 633-1208.