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Green Infrastructure Implementation, Education, and Outreach in New Jersey Rosana Da Silva Rutgers Cooperative Extension Water Resources Program Urban Innovation November 30, 2016
Green Infrastructure Implementation, Education, and Outreach in New Jersey
Rosana Da SilvaRutgers Cooperative Extension
Water Resources Program
Urban InnovationNovember 30, 2016
Water Resources Program
Our mission is to identify and address community water resources issues using sustainable and practical
science-based solutions.
About New Jersey• 565 municipalities in 21
counties• Population of 8,958,013
(US Census, 2015)– 10.8% living below the
poverty line• MHI $72,062 (US
Census, 2014)
Home Rule State
New Jersey Challenges• Change in municipal administration and constant change
in municipal representatives• Change in priorities and needs per administration• NJDEP Permit changes
– Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4)– Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO)
• Township’s stormwater review process revealed widespread inaccuracies
• Neglect on both the project applicants and the Township
• Township failed to:– Identify multiple omissions in
submitted applications– Flawed assumptions or
miscalculations on the submitting engineer
• SHOS filed suit against the Township for failure to completely fulfill the NJ Stormwater Management Rules’ requirements
Case Study: Hamilton Township, Mercer County
Case Study: Hamilton Township, Mercer County
The approval of a developer’s stormwater management plans lies solely with the
municipality.
Case Study: Hamilton Township, Mercer County
State-wide Municipal Stormwater Management Education Program
Stormwater Management Rules (N.J.A.C. 7:8)
NJ Stormwater Guidance
For more information, visit: www.njstormwater.org
State-wide Municipal Stormwater Management Education Program
Asking the Right Questions in Stormwater
Review?• 270 participants over
eight (8) trainings provided to municipal representatives
• 155 surveys collected,100% of the participants demonstrated a core knowledge gain
• Common responses: “My colleagues on the planning board should have also been here for this training.”
Asking the Right Questions in Stormwater Review eLearning Tool
• All eLearning tools are free and available to everyone
• Accessible by visiting: http://water.rutgers.edu/E-learning.html
Available eLearning Tools• Understanding Your
Impervious Cover Assessment (ICA) Report (March, 2015)
• Asking the Right Questions in Stormwater Review (April, 2015)
• Impervious Cover Assessment (ICA) and Impervious Cover Reduction Action Plan: The Answer to All Your Problems (December, 2015)
Available eLearning Tools• Ideas and Resources for
Implementing Green Infrastructure in Your Community - Planning documents, programs, and ordinances (May, 2016)
• Green Infrastructure Overview: Examples and Properties of a aVariety of Stormwater Management Solutions (November, 2016)
Limitations and Challenges• eLearning Tools did not receive the same
reactions as the in-person workshops• Municipal representatives are still unaware
these tools exist for them, at no cost
Lessons Learned• Marketing is key
– Distributing eLearning tools – online, printed, in-person– How can we promote ourselves to our stakeholders as
a “first stop” in learning about water resources?• Asking and Answering Fundamental Questions
– Who needs to know about these eLearning tools? – How can we share this information with them? – Where do our municipal representatives go to get
information? How does information get passed on to new hires, appointees, and elected officials?
– What role can the University play in utilizing these tools as well as promoting them?
Rosana Da [email protected]
(848) 932-6714
Questions and/or Comments
Next Steps• When developing an
eLearning tool, know your audience
• Market and promote tools to audience in multiple facets
• Technology has limitations
