New legislation would require resident notifications of sewer system overflow
The leader of the state Senate’s environment committee Wednesday said he will introduce legislation that would require cities and towns to tell residents when outdated sewer systems overflow and spill a dangerous brew of raw waste into New Jersey’s waterways.
In addition, lawmakers plan to hold a hearing this fall on how to fix antiquated systems that dump more than 23 billion gallons of waste into rivers and the ocean each year.
“The public has a right to know when these sewer overflows occur if for no other reason than to protect themselves,” said Sen. Bob Smith (D-Middlesex), who chairs the upper house’s environment panel. (Baxter, The Star-Ledger)