The Clean Water, Healthy Families, Good Jobs Campaign released the following statement on Governor Murphy’s budget address:

“While Governor Murphy and the state legislature have made some progress on water infrastructure issues, there is much more to do. We are disappointed that the Governor’s budget address didn’t offer more on water infrastructure–ten words in a budget address is not nearly enough.

There is no better way to commit to an affordability agenda than to expand investment in water infrastructure.

Lead service lines and chemicals like PFAs threaten the health of our families, deteriorating combined sewer systems cause sewage backups in our streets, homes, and businesses, and old stormwater systems can’t handle more runoff from extreme weather.

For perspective, New Jersey loses an estimated 130 million gallons of treated drinking water each day to leaky pipes. Over the course of a year, you could fill the American Dream Mall 14 times over with the amount of drinking water we lose. This is literally money going down the drain.

Ratepayers not only have to pay the cost of lost drinking water, but will also be on the hook for the removal of lead service lines, as well as efforts to remove harmful chemicals from drinking water, stormwater improvements, and combined sewer upgrades. These projects will only get more and more expensive as time passes.

The good news is, Governor Murphy and the state legislature have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to use $1.2 billion of American Rescue Plan funds to accelerate investment in clean water and save New Jersey families from unaffordable water and sewer bills.”