Vol. 5 No. 1 Summer 1997
A Newsletter About New Jersey's Water Quality Programs

The NJ Wastewater Treatment Financing Program recently proposed amendments to the financing program rules at Title 7, Chapter 22. The program provides financial assistance to municipalities and other local government units for the construction and upgrade of municipal wastewater treatment and stormwater management projects. The Municipal Finance and Construction Element (MF&CE) of the Division of Water Quality administers the loans in conjunction with the New Jersey Wastewater Treatment Trust (the Trust), an independent state financing authority.

There are a number of minor changes being proposed. The most significant would broaden the funding for street restoration and building demolition and fully fund the planning and design costs of projects requiring the preparation of environmental impact studies. The amendments will also clarify the rules on contracting with small businesses owned by minorities and/or women. Another amendment would enable the Trust to waive allowable cost provisions and provide market-rate loans to applicants if extraordinary economic circumstances exist, but only if the loan is otherwise consistent with the purposes and objectives of the Trust Act and Bond Acts involved.

Similar rule amendments are being proposed for projects pursuing funding under the Pinelands Infrastructure Trust Financing Program. This program provides low cost financing that is typically 40% grant and 20% loan. The projects are also eligible for loans from the Trust for the remaining 40% of project costs.

At the time of this publication, the proposed rule changes were scheduled to be published in the New Jersey Register on May 19, 1997. The public hearing is scheduled for 10 a.m. on June 17, 1997, at the Trust's offices at 3131 Princeton Pike, Building 6, Suite 201 (Exit 8A of Interstate 95 &emdash; If you wish, call the Trust for detailed directions at (609) 219-8600). The comment period will end June 18, 1997. The changes are anticipated to be adopted by September 1997.

If you have any questions regarding the impact of the proposed changes on your project, please contact the following MF&CE individuals: Stanley V. Cach, Jr., P.E., Chief, Bureau of Engineering and Construction Permitting North, at (609) 292-6894 or Gautam Patel, Chief, Bureau of Engineering and Construction Permitting South, at (609) 984-6840. Dirk Hofman, Executive Director of the Trust, may be reached at (609) 219-8600. For general questions regarding the rule amendments, please contact Theresa Fenton, Chief, Bureau of Program Development and Technical Services, at (609) 292-3859.