Senate to Hold Hearing on the ‘Water Quality Accountability Act’
Senate to Hold Hearing on the ‘Water Quality Accountability Act’
Trenton – The Senate Community and Urban Affairs Committee will hold a hearing on the “Water Quality Accountability Act” (WQAA) that will focus on the impact and efficacy of the act on the transparency and oversight of the approximately 290 public water systems covered by the act throughout New Jersey.
The Senate Community and Urban Affairs Committee will meet at 10:00 A.M., on September 10, 2019, in Committee Room 4 on the 1st Floor in the State House Annex.
“The Water Quality Accountability Act was a landmark piece of legislation that has yet to see its full implementation,” said Senator Singleton (D-Burlington). “The goal of the hearings will be to determine why there has been a lack of compliance and what more can be done to ensure greater accountability, transparency and adherence to the Water Quality Act. It is our collective hope that these hearings will provide us with the information necessary to improve the water infrastructure in communities throughout our State.”
The Senate Committee hearing will take testimony and collect data on compliance and develop legislative remedies that will address possible improvements to the current statute, regulations, administration, and enforcement of the WQAA.
The participants in the hearing will be:
- Deborah Mans, Deputy Commissioner of NJ DEP
- Joe Fiordaliso, President of NJ BPU
- Mary-Anna Holden, Commissioner of BPU
- Chris Strum, Managing Director, Policy, and Water of NJ Future
- Dr. Manny Teodoro, Director of Policy and Politics Program
The WQAA established new requirements for purveyors of public water to improve the safety, reliability, and administrative oversight of water infrastructure. The act went into effect on October 19, 2017.
