TRENTON – The Senate Environment Committee today approved a package of bills to upgrade water systems in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy and to help local communities throughout the state finance infrastructure projects to improve water quality and deliver safer drinking water to residents.
The first bill, S-2815, sponsored by Senator Bob Smith, would provide short-term funding for environmental infrastructure projects to repair damage incurred during Hurricane Sandy or to mitigate risk of damage from future storms.
“Hurricane Sandy showed the weaknesses in our state’s water treatment operations. These failures caused hundred of millions of gallons of raw sewage to be dumped into our waterways and left residents throughout the state with water that was unsafe to consume,” said Senator Smith, S-Middlesex and Somerset, Chairman of the Committee. “Over the coming years, a significant investment must be made to ensure that when the next big storm hits, New Jersey families’ water supply is not compromised.”