STATEMENT OF GREG REMAUD, BAYKEEPER AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, NY/NJ BAYKEEPER ON NJ SENATE BILL 1073 

“NY/NJ Baykeeper commends Senator Bob Smith for championing clean water issues and offer our support Senate bill 1073, authorizing the formation of stormwater utilities at the municipal level. This legislation is critical to ensuring local municipalities have legal authority to form a funding mechanism to reduce flooding, improve water quality, and address polluted runoff, all of which are associated with our crumbling infrastructure. We are pleased that the bill would require green infrastructure, when appropriate, to address polluted runoff. To further achieve the goals of this policy, we urge the removal of the exemption of agriculture properties. More than 23 billion gallons of untreated sewage is discharged into NJ waterways every year from our state’s outdated stormwater infrastructure. More than 1500 municipalities throughout the country use revenue collected from stormwater utilities to fund the improvement of stormwater infrastructure. It is time NJ catches up!”