What We Did in 2022!
Big Victory = First CSO Permit Released!
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As the year winds down, Sewage-Free Streets and Rivers (SFSR) wants to thank our Advisory Board, partner organizations, and community members for their enormous work in advocating for stronger Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) reductions. |
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Our Biggest Victory: NJDEP Released First CSO Permit on December 9 for Review. SFSR is Organizing Opportunities to Engage. |
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Read our press release in response here.
For seven years, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP), municipalities, utilities, community members, and organizations have been working hard to develop plans to reduce CSO flooding into water bodies, streets, and homes. The first step toward implementation of these long term control plans was announced on December 9. NJDEP released the first of eight regional CSO permits for the North Bergen Municipal Utilities Authority—Woodcliff Sewer Treatment Plant and Town of Guttenberg in Hudson County. The CSOs from that area discharge into the Hudson River.
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Guttenberg, NJ: right off the Hudson River, highlighted in yellow.
Image from United States Census Bureau.
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This permit release marks a major milestone for New Jersey to meet the goal of maintaining sewage-free streets and rivers, and a turning point in our ability to address this issue throughout the state.
Sewage-Free Streets and Rivers campaign and our partner organizations look forward to reviewing this important permit and providing comments to ensure the final permit achieves its intended comprehensive efforts to eliminate CSO flooding in an equitable, transparent, affordable way that also reflects individual community priorities and values.
NJDEP is providing a 60-day public comment period, ending February 13, 2023. We encourage community members, officials, and community organizations in the Woodcliff neighborhood of North Bergen and town of Guttenberg to carefully review the permit actions and provide comments to NJDEP to ensure the proposed projects, timelines, and costs are the best solutions for that area. Since this permit will set the stage for the seven subsequent permits released for review, we encourage community members, officials, and community organizations in the other CSO communities to also participate in the public comment process for the North Bergen/Guttenberg permit.
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Now What?
Have Your Voice Heard During this Critical Moment!
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Learn how to provide effective input during the NJDEP permit review process.
Virtual Public Workshop:
Community Driven Input on Upcoming Combined Sewer Overflow Proposed Projects
January 18, 2023, 7:00–8:30 p.m.
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During this workshop, we make it simple to understand:
- What Combined Sewer Systems (CSSs) and Combined Sewer Overflows (CSOs) are.
- Why these NJDEP CSO permits are important for protecting the environment and public health.
- What strategies, projects, and public engagement efforts should be included in an effective CSO permit.
- Concerns around what may be missing in this first draft permit (for Woodcliff, North Bergen/Guttenberg, New Jersey).
- How to provide comments before the permits are finalized (in writing and during oral testimony).
Learn more about the background on CSOs, the Long Term Control plans and permits:
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Not sure you can attend the workshop, but would like to participate in the public review and comment process? Please complete the sign up form, regardless, and we’ll email you suggested tips for reviewing and commenting on this permit and subsequent permits in 2023. |
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The 2022 Accomplishments Don’t Stop There!
More SFSR Highlights:
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- SFSR Advisory Board and partners successfully advocated for funding for water infrastructure ($248 million of NJ's American Rescue Plan allocation in the 2023 budget will be used to address combined sewer overflows).
- Launched the first Sewage-Free Streets and Rivers Community Leadership Development Fellowship Program. We are expanding a second cohort in 2023, thanks to funding from The Kresge Foundation and Valley National Bank.
- Produced the Stormwater Stories video series on flooding in communities with combined sewer systems.
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Paterson Stormwater Stories crew,
Photo taken by Rachel Dawn Davis.
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- SFSR Advisory Board and partners advocated for strong CSO permit language and funding for local projects.
- Presented at conferences and several SFSR advisory board members received awards from NY/NJ Baykeeper for distinguished leadership.
- Finally, we successfully transitioned the Sewage-Free Streets and Rivers campaign management as Mo Kinberg left New Jersey Future to join Greenpeace as Senior Campaign Director. We are thrilled for Mo and know she will do great things. We are also excited that Suzanne Aptman at New Jersey Future has taken on this important SFSR campaign management role. Suzanne has been working on SFSR with Mo since September. Cassie Bolinger at New Jersey Future has taken on the role of Community Associate. They are both looking forward to collaborating with our wonderful partners and Advisory Board. To ensure we are addressing flooding and CSOs from different angles, Andrea Jovie Sapal is continuing to coordinate the Jersey Water Works CSO Committee.
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From left to right: Suzanne Aptman, Andrea Jovie Sapal, and Cassie Bolinger. |
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Sewage-Free Streets and Rivers was honored to participate in Kresge’s 2022 Year-End Celebration on December 1. At the virtual event, each Climate Resilient and Equitable Water Systems (CREWS) organization had an opportunity to share a key success from this year. We were thrilled to be among so many outstanding organizations across the country that are doing impactful work for their communities. |
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Congratulations to Jersey Water Works on a Phenomenal Conference! |
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On December 2, Jersey Water Works held its eighth annual conference titled “Building a Water Sector Leadership Pipeline, Moving Money to Projects, Implementation, and Community Engagement.”
SFSR Community Leadership Development Fellowship Program graduate, Monica Shaw (pictured below) gave a great speech during the “Living in a Community with a Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) System” section, urging the government and communities to take action to reduce CSO flooding and protect New Jerseyans.
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Monica Shaw gave a great speech at the Jersey Water Works conference.
Photo taken by Hannah Reynolds.
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Get Involved and Spread the Word! |
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Have something we should include in this newsletter?
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Sewage-Free Streets and Rivers (SFSR) is an action-oriented campaign that collaborates with community organizations to engage community members and small business owners to help shape their communities’ solutions to reduce localized flooding and the raw sewage dumped into rivers and streams due to combined sewer overflows (CSOs). SFSR is organized by its partners and an advisory board, with the support of New Jersey Future.
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