Lance: $360k Coming to Raritan Borough for River Work

$84.5 Million Heading to Projects Across New Jersey

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Congressman Leonard Lance (NJ-07) has announced the Environmental Protection Agency is awarding Raritan Borough $360,245 to repair or replace sewer pipes which are decaying and contributing to raw sewage overflows in the community and adversely impacting the Raritan River.  The EPA included the Raritan project as part of nearly $85 million in new funds for New Jersey safe water projects – funds appropriated in the government funding measure Lance backed earlier this year.

“Clean drinking water is the lifeblood of all things – we need reliable water infrastructure to make sure residents can trust the water coming out of the tap.  This is an important project for Raritan Borough and I thank the EPA for making it a priority.  This is how the EPA is supposed to work: help local entities tackle important projects with funding and expertise,” said Lance, a member of the Energy and Commerce Committee which oversees the EPA.

In a statement, the EPA outlined $84.5 million to New Jersey to help finance water infrastructure projects that are essential to protecting public health and the environment. The funds will primarily be used to upgrade wastewater and drinking water systems throughout the state.  EPA awarded $65,589,000 to the New Jersey Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF) program and $18,957,000 to the New Jersey Drinking Water Revolving Fund (DWSRF) program. These two programs are administrated by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) and its financing program, the New Jersey Infrastructure Bank (NJIB).

“Working with our state and local partners to ensure our communities have affordable access to clean drinking water remains a critical priority for EPA, said EPA Regional Administrator Pete Lopez. “We are pleased to provide significant funding as part of our overall efforts to help New Jersey meet its critical water infrastructure needs.”

Lance previously announced the EPA has completed a cleanup proposal for the final stage of the American Cyanamid Superfund site in Bridgewater.  Cyanamid is a Superfund site and Lance secured for $1.2 billion in funding for cleanup programs across the country – an increase of $66 million from the previous fiscal year.  Lance and the EPA are also working on a plan to address a newly identified contaminant and enhance treatment of contamination at the Combe Fill South Landfill site in Chester Township.