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opinion
Access to clean water is essential but not guaranteed. The network of pipes and systems that keep water flowing throughout New Jersey is in need of a major upgrade. The good news is that in June of last year Governor Phil Murphy signed into the state budget. This included his $300 million allotment of New Jersey’s U.S. Relief Plan funds for water infrastructure.
The funds will be used to address a combination of sewer overflow, contamination of private wells, and resilience of water infrastructure. This additional funding is a commendable first step in addressing New Jersey’s lack of funding for clean water and putting the state on the road to a healthier and more affordable future, but there’s still work to be done. there are a lot of.
FYI, some of the New Jersey pipes have not been upgraded since they were built before the Civil War. Communities across the state battle ways to replace lead pipes and remove harmful cancer-causing ‘eternal chemicals’ from drinking water supplies, while grappling with worsening stormwater problems as extreme weather events rise It also requires a large amount of investment for
Overall, New Jersey’s estimated water infrastructure will require a total of $30 billion over the next 20 years. Worst of all, without the massive increase and continuation of investment from the state and the careful deployment of the federal dollar, these costs will be borne only by statewide taxpayers and local property taxpayers. It will be. bigger cost.
While this challenge may seem abstract in some ways, water infrastructure has a tremendous impact on the lives of New Jerseyans on a daily basis. Students unable to drink from fountains because water is delivered to schools through lead pipes; local businesses flooded because stormwater systems cannot handle moderate storms; Think of a family struggling with Rising rates for replacing leaking and lead-lined pipes.
That’s why it’s so heartening to see Gov. Murphy and the Legislature pledge additional funding in this year’s budget and quickly move those funds into advancing shovel-ready projects. This creates an opportunity to make a truly transformative impact on the lives of all New Jersey residents. That’s why we’re asking governors and legislatures to commit to additional funding for water infrastructure.
Investing an additional $700 million over the next two years will help New Jersey cover a quarter of the total 10-year cost to replace lead service lines statewide, helping to replace drinking water with “permanent water.” can significantly reduce the total investment required to remove ‘chemicals’. , upgrading inadequate stormwater systems and providing more than a quarter of the total cost of repairing combined sewer systems. In addition, these investments will create more than 13,000 jobs statewide and provide an additional $2.9 billion in economic benefits. The combination of state and federal funding is a unique opportunity to ensure that our children and grandchildren can safely inherit the modern infrastructure they need to learn, work, and feed their families.
New Jersey has a variety of tools at its disposal, including funding the remaining $1.4 billion of the American Relief Plan, advocating additional federal funding for key service lines, and continuing to fund the state budget. , the important thing is to make a promise todayInvesting in clean water is a commitment to affordability, the health of your family, and your state’s economy.
Kate Gibbs is Deputy Director of the Engineer Workers Cooperative (ELEC 825). ELEC promotes economic development, infrastructure investment and construction industry education, providing opportunities for developers, union contractors and members of Local 825. Ed Potosnak is Executive Director of the New Jersey Conservation Voters League. The organization is a non-partisan organization whose mission is to elect environmental advocates, hold public officials accountable, and support laws that protect the environment and improve people’s quality of life..
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