Bill Text: NJ S554 | 2016-2017 | Regular Session | Introduced

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Bill Title: Requires Passaic Valley Water Commission to obtain approval of certain municipalities before entering into certain contracts concerning open-air reservoirs.

Spectrum: Slight Partisan Bill (Republican 2-1)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2016-01-12 - Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Environment and Energy Committee [S554 Detail]

Download: New_Jersey-2016-S554-Introduced.html

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SENATE, No. 554

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

217th LEGISLATURE

 

PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2016 SESSION

 

 

Sponsored by:

Senator  KEVIN J. O'TOOLE

District 40 (Bergen, Essex, Morris and Passaic)

Senator  NELLIE POU

District 35 (Bergen and Passaic)

 

 

 

 

SYNOPSIS

     Requires Passaic Valley Water Commission to obtain approval of certain municipalities before entering into certain contracts concerning open-air reservoirs.

 

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT

     Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel.

  

An Act concerning the Passaic Valley Water Commission and supplementing Title 40 of the Revised Statutes.

 

     Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:

 

     1.    The Passaic Valley Water Commission shall not enter into a contract to cap, otherwise enclose, or drain an open-air reservoir unless the governing bodies of each of the member municipalities comprising the Passaic Valley Water Commission and the governing bodies of each of the municipalities serviced by the commission shall have first approved the contract. 

 

     2.    This act shall take effect immediately.

 

 

STATEMENT

 

     This bill would require the Passaic Valley Water Commission to obtain approval from the governing body of each of the member municipalities comprising the commission and approval from the governing body of each of the municipalities receiving water from the commission prior to entering into a contract to cap, otherwise enclose, or drain an open-air reservoir.

     The Passaic Valley Water Commission is proposing to replace its three open-air reservoirs - the Levine Reservoir, located in the City of Paterson, and the New Street and Great Notch Reservoirs, located in the Borough of Woodland Park - with water storage tanks.  Draining these three scenic reservoirs and replacing them with concrete storage tanks will mar the landscape, impact wildlife habitat, depress property values, increase water rates, and negatively impact the area's historic districts.  This bill would require the commission to obtain approval from its member municipalities and approval from the municipalities serviced by the commission before entering into a contract to cap, otherwise enclose, or drain these reservoirs.