By Patricia Hilliard • Hudson County Group Chair
Sadly, New Jersey has a drinking water crisis.
Climate change is causing ocean levels to rise. This means salt water is moving farther upriver, where it mixes with fresh water, causing undrinkable brackish water. There are other problems, too, such as aging infrastructure and contamination. New Jersey needs to work fast and furiously to ensure adequate supplies of fresh drinking water for its residents.
Where Should the Work Begin?
We could start with the need for funding to upgrade Cape May’s desalination plant. In 1996, with salt water entering the Cohansey River watershed, Cape May turned to the idea of desalination. It installed a reverse osmosis desalination plant to remove the salt and provide fresh drinking water for local residents and tourists. This worked well, and as an added plus, reverse osmosis removes PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances), a group of industrial chemicals linked to health problems.
The construction of this desalination plant made Cape May an innovator in the search for water solutions, but the 25-year-old plant now needs an upgrade estimated to cost $30 million.
In April, $1.5 million toward the effort to upgrade the Cape May City desalination plant was cut as part of congressional funding reductions to avoid a government shutdown, and although there is funding authorization remaining for Cape May, its future allocation is uncertain.
Trenton Water Works
What about Trenton Water Works (TWW)? Located along the Delaware River, the water plant suffers from old age and needs an upgrade. TWW supplies drinking water for residents of Trenton, Ewing, Hamilton, Hopewell, and Lawrence. The city anticipates that nearly $1 billion in improvements are needed, but it doesn’t want to lose ownership of the utility, which is under state Department of Environmental Protection supervision.
Why not create a regional utility company to work on the problems? Early this year, DEP Commissioner Shawn LaTourette, Trenton Mayor Reed Gusciora, and the mayors of the surrounding communities agreed to get moving on this idea, but the clock is ticking. In its 2025 assessment of TWW, the DEP found a chronic lack of adequate maintenance, noncompliance with safe drinking water standards, poor management, potential for systemwide failures, and a “complacent” staff.
Where’s the Funding?
Lead contamination in drinking water is a problem for many New Jersey communities and school districts. Last year, the Biden administration announced $44 million in funding for New Jersey through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to help with the lead problem. This money is likely secure, although on the national level the Environmental Protection Agency under President Trump has sought to pause or delay such funding. In Massachusetts, for example, the EPA has held up over $50 million in lead pipe replacement money, citing a need for review of the effort.
Many communities are digging up old water lines and replacing them with safe connections to their water systems. The DEP offers websites where you can find out about the lead water lines in your community. You might also want to contact the lead experts at LeadInDW@dep.nj.gov or call 609-292-5550 with your questions.
The battle continues, with consultants and politicians trying to figure out where to get funding for this much-needed water quality protection.
Has Your Superfund Site Been Cleaned Up?
New Jersey has 115 Superfund sites. In some of them, such as the Wanaque Reservoir, toxins may be moving underground toward reservoirs and rivers used for drinking water. Money to clean up Superfund sites was designated through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (Bipartisan), signed into law by former President Biden on November 15, 2021.
Because funding was allocated, many of these Superfund sites are being cleaned up and restored as viable properties. Some of the towns affected by these cleanups are Kearny, Vineland, Florence, Jobstown, Newark, Fairfield, and South Plainfield. Yet the work on these sites still needs to be finished.
Schools with lead contamination are required to provide alternate sources of water. Signs must be posted advising students not to drink from the fountains if their water is contaminated. The DEP offers a guide to schools to monitor drinking water, report problems, and publicize the results. Be an activist and check out what’s happening in your school.
So, What Happens Next?
Obviously, we can’t take safe drinking water for granted. We must push hard on politicians, government officials, and those who would oppose funding the work that needs to be done to address contamination issues. Getting involved with Sierra Club helps in the struggle for clean, safe drinking water. Delays in funding and infrastructure upgrades put your health at risk. Won’t you join us and help things turn out right?
DEP’s Drinking Water Watch at: https://www-dep.nj.gov/DEP_WaterWatch_public/
DEP Water Guide: https://www.nj.gov/dep/watersupply/schools.htm