Vol. 6 No. 4 Spring 1999
A Newsletter About New Jersey's Water Quality Programs

Loan Program Targets Nonpoint Source Pollution

If the high cost of stormwater management is stressing your budget, the New Jersey Environmental Infrastructure Financing Program can provide some relief. This program offers low-interest financing for stormwater and nonpoint source pollution management. Loans are available for publicly owned projects that will benefit water quality by incorporating best management practices (BMPs), including projects on privately owned lands where there is a formal management contract with a government unit.

Since Congress, through amendments to the Clean Water Act, mandated that treatment plants be upgraded to secondary and advanced treatment, New Jersey has made great strides cleaning up direct discharges (point sources) of wastewater to the state's waterways. The sharp decrease in beach closings and the opening of shellfish beds for harvesting are among the visible results of these improved treatment levels.

Despite these notable results, we still face a formidable challenge posed by nonpoint source pollution. While point sources of pollution are a quantifiable universe, nonpoint pollution represents a diffuse and much less quantifiable problem. Nonpoint sources of pollution, which contribute a major portion of the contamination affecting the state's waters, extend to every area and every citizen of the state. Every day, contaminants such as motor oil, animal waste, pesticides, fertilizers and litter are washed into our waterways by rain or snow melt. Contaminants may enter waterways directly or indirectly via roadway storm drains.

Some point sources are closely linked to the problems caused by stormwater pollution. In the case of combined sewers, which exist in many urban areas, storm drains discharge into sewers which also carry sewage. During storms, where the flow is too great, releases of combined stormwater and untreated sewage occur directly to surface water. To minimize the effects of these overflows, many cities have implemented aggressive street sweeping and sewer maintenance regimens to remove litter and reduce contamination.

The EPA and the DEP have placed increased emphasis on identifying nonpoint source pollution management strategies that cost effectively achieve water quality improvements. Thus, communities in New Jersey need comprehensive strategies to address storm runoff and take into account the local and downstream effects of flooding and pollution control.

To maximize the benefits of nonpoint source pollution management projects and promote watershed-based resource management, municipalities are encouraged to join with county agencies, regional soil conservation districts and other groups in planning long-term stormwater strategies for funding. The construction of infrastructure facilities and the purchase of equipment needed to implement appropriate BMPs is available under the Financing Program.

Since 1997, the Financing Program has provided loans to several communities to improve or repair their stormwater infrastructure and address nonpoint source pollution. The following are some sample projects:

New Brunswick City Certified Loan Amount $1,294,412 Project #S340437-08	Consists of the construction of approximately 2,300 feet of new storm sewers as part of the City's overall efforts to separate its combined sewers.
Pine Hill Borough Certified Loan Amount $602,578 Project #N92 274-01	Includes the construction and connection of a new retention basin to an existing stormwater conveyance system. Improvements also include various piping upgrades, the demolition and reconstruction of headwalls at outfall locations, and related erosion control measures.
Kearny Town Certified Loan Amount $3,014,742 Project #S340259-01	Includes the construction of a new storm sewer system to replace the existing combined sewer. The combined sewer will be converted into a separate sanitary sewer, eliminating one combined storm and sanitary overflow point.
Lawrence Township Certified Loan Amount $1,170,190 Project #N92 395-01	Involves the removal of up to 60,000 cubic yards of organically rich and nutrient-laden sediments from Colonial Lake and the installation of a sediment sump area for future sediment removal. This project is expected to improve the water quality, the deteriorated fish habitat, and the aesthetic attributes of the lake.
Mercer County Improvement Authority Certified Loan Amount $1,105,960 Project #S340536-04	Involves the installation of retaining walls and various vegetative plantings to stabilize lake banks and reduce sedimentation.
Woodbridge Township Certified Loan Amount $879,190 Project #S340433-09	Involves the purchase of stormwater sewer system maintenance equipment including two street sweepers, one lightning loader, one sewer vactor, and one sewer flusher to prevent trash and debris from entering the stormwater system and impacting area waterways.

These projects are just a few examples of the types of stormwater and nonpoint source pollution control projects that the Financing Program has funded. Other projects, such as the construction or expansion of stormwater basins and other facilities, installing packed media filters, replacement of existing storm drains, and implementing BMPs to prevent runoff from salt storage facilities and feedlot/manure facilities are also eligible.

For further information:

On eligibility and financing program requirements, contact the Municipal Finance and Construction Element. For projects in northern New Jersey, contact Stanley Cach, Chief, Bureau of Engineering North at (609) 292-6894. For projects in southern New Jersey, contact Gautam Patel, Chief, Bureau of Engineering South at (609) 984-6840.