Politics & Government

$229 Million Will Improve Sandy-Damaged Water Facilities in NJ

Grant funding will be used to improve drinking water and wastewater facilities damaged during Hurricane Sandy.

New Jersey will receive $229 million in grant funding to help upgrade wastewater and drinking water treatment facilities in communities impacted by Hurricane Sandy, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced Thursday.

As a result of the late-October storm, wastewater and drinking water treatment systems in parts of New Jersey were so severely damaged that some could not provide safe drinking water or treat raw sewage. The funding announced today will give states the capacity to further reduce risks of flood damage and increase the resiliency of wastewater and drinking water facilities to withstand the effects of severe storms similar to Sandy, according to a release.

The funding is part of the Sandy relief package approved by Congress in January and later signed into law by President Barack Obama. In addition to the water plant improvement funding New Jersey will receive, $340 million in similar grant funding was announced for New York.

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The funding will provide an estimated 6,000 short-term construction jobs.

Grant funding is being awarded to the state, which will then allocate the funds as low or no interest loans to local communities based on a priority ranking system based on elements of the Clean Water Act, the Safe Drinking Water Act, the Disaster Relief Appropriations Act and state regulations. 

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According to a release, the highest rankings will be given to proposed projects that will most ensure water quality or provide the most protection to drinking water systems. Projects that incorporate green infrastructure, such as wetlands and detention basins to collect stormwater or natural features like sand dunes that are capable of mitigating storm water impacts; raise equipment from basements; and provide backup sources of energy that are renewable, may also be submitted for approval.

EPA Regional Administrator Judith Enck said the funding will help vulnerable communities in New Jersey and New York become more resilient to the effects of climate change.

Up to 30 percent of the money can be awarded as grant funding rather than as a loan. 

Though the state is tasked with accepting applications and providing initial review, final decision making on which projects will receive funding falls on the EPA. States must submitted Intended Use plans to the EPA for review. The plans are also subject to public comment periods of 30 days in New Jersey.


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