NJ DEP Moves to Curtail Sewage Discharge in Both the Hackensack and Hudson Rivers

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Hackensack NJ,  the Department of Environmental Protection recently signed an agreement with Hackensack, Ridgefield Park, Fort Lee and the Bergen County Utilities Authority that requires the municipalities to implement projects to reduce combined sewer discharges that impair water quality in the Hackensack and Hudson rivers.

The Administrative Compliance Agreement is part of a comprehensive Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) Long-Term Control Plan strategy required by federal policy and implemented by the DEP to address longstanding threats to surface water quality caused by combined sewer discharges.

The agreement details long-term schedules for construction of projects to separate stormwater and wastewater lines in the three municipalities that will reduce the flow of combined sewer discharges to the waterways and reduce sewer system-related flooding. The Bergen County Utilities Authority provides sewer and water treatment services for the three communities.

“The DEP is committed to helping communities identify and implement solutions to combined sewer discharges that for too long have impacted the health of our waterways and communities,” said Environmental Protection Commissioner Shawn M. LaTourette. “My DEP colleagues and I commend the City of Hackensack, Village of Ridgefield Park, Borough of Fort Lee and the Bergen County Utilities Authority for working together to improve the ecological health and vitality of the Hackensack and Hudson rivers.”

In addition to working with communities to reduce CSOs, the DEP launched the Our Water’s Worth It campaign last year to raise public awareness about the fundamental importance of our water supplies, the threats they face, and the steps DEP is taking to ensure all New Jerseyans have access to clean drinking water and healthy waterways.

Threats from Combined Sewer Discharges Explained

Combined sewer systems were designed many decades ago to collect rainwater and snowmelt runoff, domestic sewage, and industrial wastewater in the same piping system. New combined sewer systems are no longer permitted in New Jersey, but many older cities in the state are permitted to continue operating existing combined sewer systems.

Most of these systems are found in New Jersey’s oldest regions, including in the New York-New Jersey Harbor region and in Camden and Gloucester City along the Delaware River in southern New Jersey. Discharges from these systems can pose public health threats by impairing receiving waterways and by causing flooding of streets with combined wastewater and stormwater. For more information on combined sewer overflows and the steps the DEP is taking to address this problem, visit www.nj.gov/dep/dwq/cso.htm

Sewer Separation Projects in Detail

The signed Administrative Compliance Agreement demonstrates that the three Bergen County municipalities are undertaking projects to reduce or eliminate combined sewer overflow, some of which have already been completed and resulted in reduced flooding in affected areas.

Hackensack will implement projects over a 13-year schedule. These include completion of five partial sewer separation projects in the areas of Court Street, an ongoing combined sewer separation project that began in July 2024 on Anderson Street, and finalizing the design for a Clay Street combined sewer separation project.

“This agreement marks a significant step forward in our ongoing efforts to improve water quality and reduce flooding in Hackensack,” said Mayor John Labrosse. “By working collaboratively with the DEP, Bergen County Utilities Authority, and our neighboring municipalities, we are making critical infrastructure investments that will have lasting benefits for our residents and the health of the Hackensack River. Clean water and resilient infrastructure are essential to our city’s future, and we are committed to continuing this progress.”

Ridgefield Park’s 16-year project schedule primarily consists of sewer separation work. To date, Ridgefield Park has undertaken a program to inspect and clean a portion of its sewer system. It recently completed design work and awarded the contract for the first phase of sewer separation.

“The Village of Ridgefield Park is excited to be part of this Administrative Compliance Agreement (ACA) and appreciates the efforts of the DEP, the BCUA, and the municipalities of Fort Lee, Hackensack, and Ridgefield Park to bring the ACA and the CSO Long-Term Control Plan (LTCP) to completion,” said Village Commissioner Bill Gerken. “Next month, the Village will break ground on the first of our sewer separation projects, which will begin a lengthy program to do our share to help improve the water quality in the Hackensack River.”

Fort Lee plans a four-phase sewer separation project over nine years that includes two green infrastructure projects. Fort Lee also began a Bluff Road Netting Facility Improvement Project in 2023 – which will modify the netting facility to increase flow and reduce backups – as well as the design and installation of a new stormwater conduit for sewer separation.

“The Borough of Fort Lee is pleased to partner with the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, Bergen County Utilities Authority, City of Hackensack, and Village of Ridgefield Park, through the Administrative Compliance Agreement to address combined sewer overflow systems. We look forward to working collectively with the DEP and partners to address and alleviate these conditions,” said Mayor Mark J. Sokolich.

Combined Sewer Discharge Reduction Progress Statewide

The DEP continues to work with the municipalities by providing low-cost funding to meet state and federal obligations to reduce CSO discharges. CSOs are regulated under New Jersey Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permits, which incorporate the requirements of the Clean Water Act and National CSO Policy by reducing or eliminating remaining CSO discharges in New Jersey.

The DEP continues to work with utilities authorities and municipalities on implementing combined sewer overflow controls through Administrative Compliance Agreements. The DEP is working with the Joint Meeting of Union and Essex Counties/City of Elizabeth and the North Hudson Sewerage Authority – River Road Sewage Treatment Plant regarding the implementation of CSO control measures for the hydraulically connected combined sewer systems.

In addition, the DEP continues to work with the Middlesex County Municipal Utility Authority/Perth Amboy, and Passaic Valley Sewerage Commission system on developing permits for water quality improvement projects.

The DEP has previously entered into Administrative Compliance Agreements with the North Hudson Sewage Authority – Adams Street Sewage Treatment Plant and the Camden County Municipal Utilities Authority/City of Camden/Gloucester City system. The DEP has also issued permits to the North Bergen Municipal Utilities Authority-Woodcliff/Guttenberg system and the City of Trenton.

 

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