New Jersey Discharger - Vol. 4 No. 3

	Vol. 4 No. 3 Winter 1996
A Newsletter About New Jersey's Water Quality Programs

Public Hearing on 1998 Wastewater Treatment Financing Program Set

The DEP has scheduled a hearing on January 8, 1997, to solicit public comments on the "Proposed Priority System, Intended Use Plan and Project Priority List for Federal Fiscal Year 1998" (PPS—FFY 98). The hearing on the PPS—FFY98 will be held in the Municipal Wastewater Assistance’s main conference room at 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. or end of testimony, whichever is sooner. The MWA offices are located at 1333 Brunswick Avenue (Brunswick Circle) in Lawrenceville, New Jersey. Presentations may be made orally or in writing. The period for submitting written comments on the proposal will close January 10, 1997 (the comments must be post-marked by that date). All comments submitted in accordance with the deadline given above will be considered in the preparation of the final Priority System for FFY 98. The Wastewater Treatment Financing Program (WTFP) provides low-interest loans for water quality management projects dealing with wastewater treatment and stormwater and nonpoint source pollution. The DEP and the New Jersey Wastewater Treatment Trust (the "Trust"), an independent state financing agency, jointly administer the WTFP.

As indicated by the title, the PPS—FFY98 document has three major parts: the priority system, the intended use plan, and the project priority list. The EPA sets the standards for the document’s makeup. In general, the priority system describes the ranking methods/ points used in prioritizing the projects, the intended use plan discusses the use of SRF funds, and the priority list presents the 1998 wastewater and stormwater projects in descending order of priority.

To support and encourage watershed management approaches toward maintaining and improving water quality, 200 additional ranking points will be awarded for each project that is part of a DEP-approved watershed management plan. The additional points are an incentive to construct cost-effective, environmentally-sound wastewater management projects and support projects that alleviate stormwater/nonpoint source pollution in watersheds.

Concurrently, the WTFP has announced a second chance opportunity to apply for a 1997 loan. The schedules for the projects to be funded in 1997 and 1998 are given below. The activities are those that the project sponsor must accomplish by the dates given.

For more information on the New Jersey Wastewater Treatment Financing Program, please contact Nicholas G. Binder, P.E., P.P., of the Municipal Wastewater Assistance Program at (609) 292-8961.

1997 and 1998 Loan Program

Activity	Loan Schedule
	1997	1998
Commitment Letter	1/10/97	1/10/97
Planning Documents	2/3/97	4/25/97
Design Documents	2/3/97	11/3/97
Loan Application	3/3/97	3/2/98
Loan Award	11/97	11/98

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Last revision Monday, December 02, 1996