Bill Text: NJ A617 | 2022-2023 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Makes supplemental appropriation of $2.125 million to Howell Township in Monmouth County for drinking water infrastructure project.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 2-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2022-01-11 - Introduced, Referred to Assembly Environment and Solid Waste Committee [A617 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2022-A617-Introduced.html
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
220th LEGISLATURE
PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2022 SESSION
Sponsored by:
Assemblyman SEAN T. KEAN
District 30 (Monmouth and Ocean)
Assemblyman EDWARD H. THOMSON
District 30 (Monmouth and Ocean)
SYNOPSIS
Makes supplemental appropriation of $2.125 million to Howell Township in Monmouth County for drinking water infrastructure project.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel.
A Supplement to "An Act making appropriations for the support of the State Government and the several public purposes for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2017 and regulating the disbursement thereof," approved June 30, 2016 (P.L.2016, c.10).
Be It Enacted by the Senate and the General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. In addition to the amounts appropriated under P.L.2016, c.10, there is appropriated out of the General Fund the following sum for the purpose specified:
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42 DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION 40 Community Development and Environmental Management 43 Science and Technical Programs
STATE AID |
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05-4840 Water Supply Management ............................................... |
$2,125,000 |
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Total State Aid Appropriation, |
$2,125,000 |
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Water Supply .......................................................... |
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State Aid: |
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05 Howell Twp Drinking Water Service Ext. |
($2,125,000) |
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2. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This bill would appropriate $2.125 million from the General Fund to Howell Township in Monmouth County to help pay for the extension of drinking water pipes to the oldest and most economically stressed neighborhood in the township.
Howell Township is currently pursuing the final stages of approval by the Department of Environmental Protection for the construction of about 8.5 miles of sanitary sewer mains throughout the Freewood Acres neighborhood and along State Route 9. These sewer mains are needed to replace many failing septic systems in the area that are polluting the most highly contaminated watershed sub-basin in the watershed of the North Branch of the Metedeconk River. It is hoped that the sewer project will be paid for with the assistance of low interest loans provided by the New Jersey Environmental Infrastructure Trust. In order to install these sewers, however, it will be necessary to dig up the roads in the area. Because the drinking water for many of the residential lots in the Freewood Acres neighborhood is currently supplied by old, uncased shallow groundwater wells in an area with a very high groundwater table, it would be protective of the public health and safety, environmentally beneficial, and an efficient use of resources to install water mains to the area at the same time as the sewer mains are being installed. Unfortunately, the financial cost to the township to partner with New Jersey American Water (the water purveyor for most of Howell Township) to extend water mains to the Freewood Acres neighborhood is beyond the financial means of the municipality (and, reportedly, further contribution to the project from New Jersey American Water is limited by regulatory requirements of the Board of Public Utilities). Consequently, this bill is necessary to ensure that this important public infrastructure project can proceed.
