Rutgers Cooperative Extension (RCE) Water Resources ProgramWater Pages eNewsletter

Horace Mann School's Cleaner and GreenerClub in Bayonne, NJ take on a Rain Garden

Initiative

The Cleaner and Greener Club at Horace Mann School (HMS) in Bayonne, NewJersey has been busy since September of 2015! The Cleaner and Greener Clubhad the opportunity to work with Passaic Valley Sewerage Commission (PVSC)and Rutgers Cooperative Extension (RCE) Water Resources Program to install a

rain garden at the front of the school to disconnect rooftop stormwater runoff. Aspart of their partnership with the PVSC/RCE team, the club members alsoeducated fellow students of HMS, grades K-8, about rain gardens, rain barrels,and stormwater management.

The members of the club agreed that fellow students in HMS needed to beeducated about the newly installed rain garden on campus, which reduces theimpacts of stormwater runoff in urban environments. They divided themselvesinto small groups, devised a presentation, and visited classrooms to explain whatrain gardens are and why they are important. Club members not only researchedtheir topics, but also tailored educational material for each grade level. They puttogether power point presentations, posters, hands-on activities, pamphlets and alarge school bulletin board for their school.

Students at HMS have learned about rain gardens and their importance inreducing stormwater runoff. They have also learned about environmentalstewardship and community involvement in caring for the earth. In the upcomingspring season, students look forward to continuing their stewardship of their raingarden and rainwater harvesting system. When in Bayonne, be sure to visit theHorace Mann School's efforts in becoming cleaner and greener!

Maintaining GreenInfrastructure in Camden, NewJersey

With over 40 greeninfrastructure projects inthe ground across the City of Camden, theCamdenSMART Initiative partners are nowchallenged with making sure thesesystemscontinue to function and serve asmodels for future efforts inmanagingstormwater. This year, theCamden SMART partners are working witha newPowerCorps program to maintainseveral rain gardens in the city.Additionally,with funding from the NewJersey Department of EnvironmentalProtection (NJDEP), theRCE WaterResources Program has expanded itspartnership with the New JerseyTreeFoundation (NJTF) tasked with maintaining20 green infrastructure projectsites in

Camden this year. Through PowerCorpsand the NJTF, opportunities arecreated forlocal residents to learn about greeninfrastructure practices andhelp CamdenSMART reduce stormwater runoff in thecommunity. Our excitingpartnershipbetween the RCE Water ResourcesProgram and the NJTF continues togrowand evolve as we work together to makeurban communities in New Jerseybecomelivable, healthy, and beautifulenvironments. Be sure to check out thelatest work of the NJTF by following themon Facebook and Twitter!

Green Infrastructure GuidanceManual for New Jersey

The RCE Water Resources Programhas been promoting the use of greeninfrastructure practices to retrofitexisting development and managestormwater. This manual is based onour experience with planning,designing, and implementing greeninfrastructure throughout New Jersey,as well as our extensive research ongreen infrastructure practices acrossthe nation.The manual providesdiagrams, engineering details, lists ofbenefits, and examples ofimplemented green infrastructure.

To view and/or download the GreenInfrastructure Guidance Manual forNew Jersey, please click here.

The Paterson SMART Initiative

Like many of New Jersey's older cities,Paterson's water management is

dependent upon a Combined SewerSystem in which both stormwater andsewage are collected in the same pipesand directed to a wastewater treatmentplant. During heavy rain events and snowmelts, this system can becomeoverwhelmed and release wastewaterdirectly into the Passaic River from a seriesof 17 outfalls in the City. Such events,known as combined sewer overflows(CSOs), create water quality concerns forthe Passaic River and the residents ofPaterson. The City of Paterson haspartnered with the RCE Water ResourcesProgram and local organizations topromote green infrastructure practices thatreduce stormwater runoff and improvewater quality.

As part of this partnership, PatersonSMART was formed in 2015. Thiscollaboration of stakeholders is working toinform multiple organizations, communitymembers, educators, researchers,developers, and property owners of thecombined sewer issue in Paterson. Thestakeholders are focused on reducing CSOevents, educating residents on the benefitsof green infrastructure in the community,and implementing green infrastructurethroughout the City of Paterson'slandscape.

The RCE Water Resources Program, asone of the 13 partners of Paterson SMART,recently received a $500,000 grant fromthe NJDEP to begin building greeninfrastructure demonstration projects withPaterson SMART and local residents. Inpartnership with the City of Paterson andseveral city schools, the RCE Water

Resources Program is looking forward tobeginning this important work. Look forgreen infrastructure projects being built inPaterson this year!

To receive updates on PatersonSMART's initiatives,visit PatersonSMART.org and follow us onFacebook!

NJ Future's Water InfrastructureDesign Competition

Municipalities and utilities withcombined sewer overflows (CSO)permits may apply for technicalassistance and engineering supportservices to help design innovativeprojects that reduce CSOs and bring arange of additional benefits to thecommunity. Applications are due April15. For more information, click here.

UPCOMING EVENTS

Complying with New Jersey StormwaterRegulations Workshop

Join the professional staff from the RCEWater Resources Program on May 13,2016 at this workshop from 9:30 am to 3pm at the Center for Environmental andLife Sciences at Montclair StateUniversity. The morning session willhighlight steps to guide you and yourmunicipality to ensure that newdevelopment is in compliance with the NewJersey stormwater managementregulations.

The afternoon session will focus onunderstanding the importance and benefitsof inventorying your municipality’sstormwater infrastructure while complyingwith the state’s MS4 permits.

To register and learn more about theworkshops, please visit our websiteby clicking here.

RCE Water Resources Program | New Brunswick, NJ 08901 | M-F 8:30 - 4:30pm