Projects & Programs - Green Infrastructure Program

Green Infrastructure Partnership with Jersey City

Background:

Jersey City is located in Hudson County and covers approximately 21 square miles. The city has a population of 247,597 according to the 2010 US Census, making it the largest city in Hudson County and the second largest in the state. Having numerous distinct and culturally diverse neighborhoods, Jersey City is geographically divided into six wards. Each ward is represented on the city council. The city shares its northern border with the municipalities of Hoboken, North Bergen, Secaucus, and Union City, while it borders Bayonne to the south. It is bounded to the east by the Hudson River and to the west by the Hackensack River and Newark Bay, creating 11 miles of waterfront. Through the 19th and 20th centuries, Jersey City was a dock and manufacturing town and was a destination for new immigrants to the United States. Jersey City is a combined sewer system community which means that both stormwater and sewage are collected together in the same pipeline directed towards a wastewater treatment facility. However, after a heavy rain event or snow melt, the system can become stressed and release both stormwater and raw sewage into the local waterways. This is known as a combined sewer overflow (CSO). Jersey City has 21 CSOs that discharge to the Hackensack River and the Hudson River.

To target efforts to manage stormwater runoff and reduce the occurrence of CSOs, the Rutgers Cooperative Extension (RCE) Water Resources Program and the Passaic Valley Sewerage Commission (PVSC) partnered together to completed a Green Infrastructure Feasibility Study for the City of Jersey City. The feasibility study has led to the formation of a partnership with the Jersey City Municipal Utilities Authority and the City of Jersey City to establish a green infrastructure initiative. With support from the Surdna Foundation, the RCE Water Resources Program is providing Jersey City with technical support to identify and implement green infrastructure projects throughout the city.

Resources:

Projects:

Project Funding Source:
Surdna Foundation

Contact:
Christopher C. Obropta, Ph.D., P.E.
Professor, Department of Environmental Sciences
Extension Specialist in Water Resources
Rutgers Cooperative Extension Water Resources Program
14 College Farm Road
New Brunswick, NJ 08901
Phone: 848-932-5711/Fax:732-932-8644
obropta@envsci.rutgers.edu

Elizabeth Pyshnik
Program Associate
Rutgers Cooperative Extension Water Resources Program
14 College Farm Road
New Brunswick, NJ 08901
Phone: 848-932-6710/Fax:732-932-8644
epyshnik@envsci.rutgers.edu


Water Resources Program at Rutgers NJAES