Asbury gets help to write its “Water Story”
New Jersey American Water providing grant for technical assistance for resiliency and sustainability
Sustainable Jersey today announced that the City of Asbury Park was selected to receive technical assistance, funded by New Jersey American Water, to complete a new Sustainable Jersey Action: Municipal Water Story.
“At New Jersey American Water, we work to protect the viability, integrity and resiliency of water supplies and water and wastewater infrastructure in our service areas that are vulnerable to droughts, floods and extreme weather events,” said Mark McDonough, president of New Jersey American Water. “This work will help advance Asbury Park’s knowledge of their local water system. We look forward to seeing the completed Water Story.”
Sustainable Jersey staff will provide hands-on guidance to help Asbury Park complete the newly released Sustainable Jersey Municipal Water Story Action. The goal of the action is for a municipality to define and prioritize their local water challenges. The technical guidance will be tailored to the specific needs of Asbury Park and will include coaching for local green team volunteers and municipal staff to guide them through each step of the Water Story Action.
Michele Alonso, director of planning and redevelopment for the City of Asbury Park explained, “With this assistance we hope Asbury Park provides a model for other municipalities to follow. We will undertake a data collection process to create a clear narrative – a water story – that describes water in all its forms here at the City – drinking, waste, stormwater and as a natural resource. The goal is to then share our water story narrative to allow residents to review the facts, gain their input and enhance the story with information from their experiences with water in order to provide a full picture of our natural resource.” The Water Story is a first step to achieve Sustainable Jersey’s Gold Star Standard in Water and is intended to serve as a catalyst for a wider discussion in the community to formulate an overall water strategy.
“Municipalities face a myriad of water issues from localized flooding; to degraded water bodies that are unsafe for fishing and swimming, and, for some, concerns about drinking water to name a few. The added threat of climate change to already stressed systems, serves as a strong reminder that preparations today to ensure future well-being is time well spent,” said Randall Solomon, executive director of Sustainable Jersey. “Municipalities can play a significant role in creating a holistic and sustainable water system. One way to identify the key water issues that Asbury Park and other towns face is through the completion of their Municipal Water Story.”
“If the extreme weather events of the past month are any indication, communities will require huge changes in infrastructure, land use, and population patterns for future storms. A key step is to identify and address issues in the areas of stormwater, wastewater, and drinking water. Completion of the Municipal Water Story action is a big step towards that goal” said Giuseppe (Joe) Grillo, an Asbury Park Green Team member and Development Director of Sustainable Jersey.
ABOUT SUSTAINABLE JERSEY
Sustainable Jersey is a non-profit that provides tools, training and financial incentives to support communities as they pursue sustainability programs. Currently, 81 percent or 460 of New Jersey’s 565 municipalities are participating in the municipal certification program and 373 school districts and 1025 schools are participating in the Sustainable Jersey for Schools certification program.
Sustainable Jersey’s partners include the New Jersey State League of Municipalities, the Sustainability Institute at The College of New Jersey, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection and the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities Clean Energy Program. Program underwriters include the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, New Jersey Board of Public Utilities Clean Energy Program, the PSEG Foundation and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The Sustainable Jersey Grants program for municipalities is funded by the PSEG Foundation, Exelon and the Gardinier Environmental Fund. Platinum sponsors are South Jersey Gas, New Jersey Natural Gas and PSE&G. The Gold Sponsor is Elizabethtown Gas. Silver Sponsors are NJM Insurance Group, Bayshore Recycling, the First Energy Foundation, Link by Superpedestrian, Northfield Bank, New Jersey American Water, Ørsted Ocean Wind, Atlantic Health System, Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey and NJ Aggregation. The Bronze Sponsors are Anbaric NJ, Bryan Electric, Covanta, Greener by Design, Good Energy, iCapital Network, Red Oak Power, Republic Services and Samsara.
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