January 21, 2020
The deadline for submitting comments on the combined sewer overflow (CSO) Long Term Control Plans (LTCPs) is January 31. These plans are not just regulatory documents — they are plans for infrastructure projects that will impact communities for decades. They will have real impacts on the pocketbooks of residents and the health of the people who live in these communities. These plans can be compliant with the regulations and not be equitable for our communities.
Your voice is needed to ensure that the billions of dollars that are spent on these plans immediately address flooding and access to our waterways, green our environment, and ensure that our streets and businesses remain safe and clean. Now is your opportunity to comment on the plans. 

Comments on the LTCPs can be submitted to the appropriate NJDEP contacts. For all comments, we suggest copying Susan Rosenwinkel (Susan.Rosenwinkel@dep.nj.gov), bureau chief of surface water permitting at NJDEP, as well as the relevant permittee contact.  
The Sewage-Free Streets and Rivers campaign reviewed the combined sewer overflow Long Term Control Plans with a focus on water quality, environmental justice, green infrastructure, financing, climate change, and public participation. We also developed a series of fact sheets on 10 of the combined sewer overflow Long Term Control Plans to summarize the content of the reports based on these categories and to facilitate community groups’ review and development of comments on the plans. Learn more here. 
The Sewage-Free Streets and Rivers campaign’s third workshop on the CSO Long Term Control Plans focused on assisting community members in developing comments on their towns’ LTCPs. The workshop started off with a few tips for writing comments. Learn more here.
The Jersey Water Works CSO Committee produced a water workforce training inventory to help prepare New Jersey residents deal with issues surrounding combined sewer systems and by becoming eligible for employment in the water sector. New Jersey residents can use this inventory to find training programs that could help them begin or otherwise further a career path in the water industry. Additionally, utilities and other training providers can use this as a tool to publicize their training opportunities. Many of the training providers on the list are organizations and unions in New Jersey that focus on construction, engineering, green infrastructure, and related trades.
The Sewage-Free Streets and Rivers campaign is funded by a generous grant from The Kresge Foundation to New Jersey Future. As part of an initiative that funds 24 grantees, the Climate Resilient and Equitable Water Systems (CREWS) initiative is a program working to transform stormwater and wastewater systems with climate-resilient water management practices that emphasize equity.
This month we are featuring a funding opportunity from one of the CREWS grantees. River Network and WaterNow Alliance have an opportunity for community group/water system partnerships to apply for Partnership-Building Technical Assistance Grants for Community Group and Water System Collaboration. Applications are due January 29.
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About This Campaign
Sewage-Free Streets and Rivers is an action-oriented campaign that empowers community organizations to engage residents and small business owners to shape the solutions that will be adopted in July 2020 to reduce localized flooding and the raw sewage dumped into our waterways. It is organized by its partners and an advisory board, with the support of New Jersey Future.
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