This week, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) announced the launch of the “Ready to Be Resilient Stormwater and Resilience Funding Program” to modernize stormwater infrastructure and management strategies.
The program will provide $9 million for a variety of resilience-related efforts, including grants to incentivize regional watershed management (with a priority to overburdened communities), development of local technical assistance programs, advancement of flood mapping, and improvement of post-disaster damage assessment protocols. In addition, the program will make $11 million available as principal forgiveness loans through the State Revolving Fund for local stormwater resilience infrastructure projects that focus on green technologies.
Ready to Be Resilient Stormwater and Resilience Funding Program in Detail:
Local Technical Assistance ($3.6 million)
Rutgers Cooperative Extension Engineers ($1.6 million)
Technical assistance with stormwater planning, design, and implementation will be offered regionally through a task order with the Rutgers Cooperative Extension Water Resources program.
Regionally located engineers (Highlands/northwest, northeast, central, and south), under the direction of the Water Resource Program Extension Specialist with Rutgers Cooperative Extension, will help communities better position themselves for funding opportunities, begin to evaluate lasting solutions such as the formation of stormwater utilities, and support Municipal Separate Storm Sewer and Combined Sewer Outfall Long-Term Control Plan compliance, through efforts such as:
- Enhancement of stormwater asset inventory and mapping
- Assessment of stormwater system vulnerability
- Identification of water quality and flood stressors
- Assessment of asset condition and function
- Project identification, prioritization, and design
- Watershed implementation planning
- Ordinance evaluation and amendment
- Zoning and impervious surface buildout analysis
This technical assistance program complements other state initiatives including Watershed Restoration and Resilience Planning, Hazard Mitigation Planning, Clean and Drinking Water, Healthy Community Planning, and Environmental Justice. The DEP will develop an annual report to quantify the assistance provided and the projects designed or built as a result.
Resilient NJ – Resilience Planning Program ($2 million)
Allocated through Resilient NJ - Resilience Planning Program.
This planning effort will support municipalities in understanding their vulnerability to climate impacts and identifying their preferred municipal planning response. Through DEP’s university partnerships, technical assistance will be provided to selected municipalities to develop climate change-related hazard vulnerability assessments as required by the Municipal Land Use Law.
Through these assessments, municipalities analyze climate impacts and vulnerabilities; conduct a buildout analysis and assess the vulnerabilities of that development; identify critical facilities, utilities, roadways, and other infrastructure; and provide strategies and design standards to address those vulnerabilities.
Funding will be prioritized for overburdened communities and municipalities not eligible for other similar opportunities (for example, coastal communities are eligible for funding through the Coastal Management Program).
Building Statewide Resilience Data ($350,000)
Flood Mapping Scope for New Jersey ($250,000)
The DEP will engage a contractor to conduct global research on flood mapping, inventory all of New Jersey’s existing floodplains, identify potential methodologies for state floodplain mapping, consult with stakeholders and subject matter experts to form recommendations, and demonstrate methodology options
State Asset Damage Assessment Protocol ($100,000)
The State Floodplain Administrator at NJDEP is responsible for floodplain management on state-owned properties. The State Floodplain Administrator will develop a Substantial Damage Management Plan that will:
- Set forth policies and procedures for assessments
- Clearly define roles and responsibilities
- Establish communication protocols
- Identify training needs and frequency
- Provide guidance on the substantial damage determination methods and enforcement mechanisms.
The plan will assist with post-disaster recovery by expediting permitting by the State Floodplain Administrator and leveraging federal disaster aid for state properties impacted by flooding. It will also provide guidance for communities that participate in the National Flood Insurance Program.
Stormwater & Resilience Grant Program ($5.025 million)
To promote stormwater management and increased resilience within communities, grants will be offered to New Jersey Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NJPDES) stormwater permittees to incentivize regional watershed management and for various activities, such as development of Watershed Improvement Plans, enhanced stormwater mapping, and improved operations at municipal composting facilities. Overburdened communities will be given priority.
Notices of Funding Availability are anticipated by the close of the year in the following areas:
- County Green Stormwater Infrastructure “Green Streets:” $1.575 million in grants is available with $75,000 for each county to be used for planning a green street project along county roads.
- Wood Waste Recycling and Leaf Composting General Permit: $1.35 million in grants is available to be distributed equally among existing permittees to assist in stormwater management compliance.
- County Stormwater Infrastructure Mapping: $2.1 million total funding, including $100,000 available for each county, to assist local governments with Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) permit requirements.
Additional information will be provided on the NJDEP Stormwater Management website
Stormwater & Resilience Infrastructure Principal Forgiveness ($11 million)
The program will provide $11 million to finance priority stormwater management construction projects that will improve infrastructure and community resilience. A significant focus of these projects is the utilization of green infrastructure technology and nature-based solutions, particularly in overburdened communities.
The primary objectives are to mitigate localized flooding and enhance the ecological health of waterways, goals that have gained urgency due to increased precipitation resulting from a warming climate. The New Jersey Water Bank Program’s “Project Priority List” contains over 20 projects, estimated at over $200 million, that meet the proposed eligibility requirements.
The Municipal Finance and Construction Element within the NJDEP’s Division of Water Quality issued the Final State Fiscal Year 2025 Clean Water Intended Use Plan detailing the project eligibility parameters and process to award the funds. It is anticipated that the funds will be awarded based upon a combination of priority ranking and readiness to proceed to construction.
More information on the funding program can be found on the NJDEP’s Water Infrastructure Investment Plan website.
Contact: Frank Marshall, Esq., Associate General Counsel, fmarshall@njlm.org, 609-695-3481, x137.