of Environmental Protection’s Ready to Be Resilient Stormwater and Resilience Funding Program to modernize stormwater infrastructure and management strategies in the face of increased precipitation that is resulting from a warming climate. The program is funded by $20 million from the Biden-Harris Administration’s American Rescue Plan.

The program will provide $9 million for a variety of resilience-related efforts, including grants to incentivize regional watershed management (with a priority to overburdened communities), development of local technical assistance programs, advancement of flood mapping, and improvement of post-disaster damage assessment protocols. In addition, the program will make $11 million available as principal forgiveness loans through the State Revolving Fund for local stormwater resilience infrastructure projects that focus on green technologies.

“Helping our local communities modernize infrastructure and get ahead of the next storm is key to building a more climate resilient future for our state,” said Governor Phil Murphy. “Thanks to this additional funding from the American Rescue Plan, the Biden-Harris Administration is helping further our efforts to prevent and respond to the increasing threat of climate change in New Jersey.”

“The science, including New Jersey-specific rainfall studies, clearly demonstrates that precipitation is becoming more intense and frequent as a result of climate change,” Environmental Protection Commissioner Shawn M. LaTourette said. “Through this new program, the DEP is focusing its expertise and resources on providing communities with the resources they need to replace outdated stormwater infrastructure that significantly exacerbates localized flooding while modernizing our stormwater management practices and strategies to meet the increasing threats of climate change.”

“Understanding the full scope of your community’s climate vulnerabilities is fundamental to developing and implementing plans and projects that will effectively reduce those risks, both today and in the long-term,” said Nick Angarone, New Jersey’s Chief Resilience Officer. “The 2021 amendment to the Municipal Land Use Law recognizes this importance, and we are proud to support municipalities in satisfying the new requirements through our Resilient NJ program. We continue to seek creative ways to expand our reach to additional municipalities across New Jersey.”

Ready to Be Resilient Stormwater and Resilience Funding Program in Detail:

Local Technical Assistance ($3,600,000)

Rutgers Cooperative Extension Engineers ($1,600,000)

Technical assistance with stormwater planning, design and implementation will be offered regionally through a task order with the Rutgers Cooperative Extension Water Resources program.

Regionally located engineers (Highlands/northwest, northeast, central, and south), under the direction of the Water Resource Program Extension Specialist with Rutgers Cooperative Extension, will help communities better position themselves for funding opportunities, begin to evaluate lasting solutions such as formation of stormwater utilities, and support Municipal Separate Storm Sewer and Combined Sewer Outfall Long-term Control Plan compliance, through efforts such as:

- Enhancement of stormwater asset inventory and mapping
- Assessment of stormwater system vulnerability
- Identification of water quality and flood stressors
- Assessment of asset condition and function
- Project identification, prioritization, and design
- Watershed Implementation Planning
- Ordinance evaluation and amendment
- Zoning and impervious surface buildout analysis

This technical assistance program complements other state initiatives including Watershed Restoration and Resilience Planning, Hazard Mitigation Planning, Clean and Drinking Water, Healthy Community Planning, and Environmental Justice. The DEP will develop an annual report to quantify the assistance provided and the projects designed or built as a result.

Resilient NJ - Resilience Planning Program ($2,000,000)

Allocated through Resilient NJ – Resilience Planning Program, this planning effort will support municipalities in understanding their vulnerability to climate impacts and identify their preferred municipal planning response. Through DEP’s university partnerships, technical assistance will be provided to selected municipalities to develop climate change-related hazard vulnerability assessments as required by the Municipal Land Use Law.

Through these assessments, municipalities analyze climate impacts and vulnerabilities; conduct a buildout analysis and assess the vulnerabilities of that development; identify critical facilities, utilities, roadways, and other infrastructure; and provide strategies and design standards to address those vulnerabilities.

Funding will be prioritized for overburdened communities and municipalities not eligible for other similar opportunities (for example, coastal communities are eligible for funding through the Coastal Management Program).

Building Statewide Resilience Data ($350,000)

Flood Mapping Scope for New Jersey ($250,000)

The DEP will engage a contractor to conduct global research on flood mapping, inventory all of New Jersey’s existing floodplains, identify potential methodologies for state floodplain mapping, consult with stakeholders and subject matter experts to form recommendations, and demonstrate methodology options

State Asset Damage Assessment Protocol ($100,000)

The State Floodplain Administrator at NJDEP is responsible for floodplain management on state-owned properties. The State Floodplain Administrator will develop a Substantial Damage Management Plan that will:

- Set forth policies and procedures for assessments
- Clearly define roles and responsibilities
- Establish communication protocols
- Identify training needs and frequency
- Provide guidance on the substantial damage determination methods and enforcement mechanisms.

The plan will assist with post-disaster recovery by expediting permitting by the State Floodplain Administrator and leveraging federal disaster aid for state properties impacted by flooding. It will also provide guidance for communities that participate in the National Flood Insurance Program.

Stormwater & Resilience Grant Program ($5,025,000)

To promote stormwater management and increased resilience within communities, grants will be offered to New Jersey Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NJPDES) stormwater permittees to incentivize regional watershed management and for various activities, such as development of Watershed Improvement Plans, enhanced stormwater mapping, and improved operations at municipal composting facilities. Overburdened communities will be given priority.

Notices of Funding Availability are anticipated by the close of the year in the following areas:

County Green Stormwater Infrastructure “Green Streets”: $1.575 million in grants is available with $75,000 for each county to be used for planning a green street project along county roads.

Wood Waste Recycling and Leaf Composting General Permit: $1.35 million in grants is available to be distributed equally among existing permittees to assist in stormwater management compliance.

County Stormwater Infrastructure Mapping: $2.1 million total funding, including $100,000 available for each county, to assist local governments with Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) permit requirements.

Additional information will be provided on the DEP Stormwater Management website

Stormwater & Resilience Infrastructure Principal Forgiveness ($11,000,000)

The program will provide $11 million to finance priority stormwater management construction projects that will improve infrastructure and community resilience. A significant focus of these projects is the utilization of green infrastructure technology and nature-based solutions, particularly in overburdened communities.

The primary objectives are to mitigate localized flooding and enhance the ecological health of waterways, goals that have gained urgency due to increased precipitation resulting from a warming climate. The New Jersey Water Bank Program’s “Project Priority List” contains over 20 projects, estimated at over $200 million, that meet the proposed eligibility requirements.

The Municipal Finance and Construction Element within the DEP’s Division of Water Quality issued the Final State Fiscal Year 2025 Clean Water Intended Use Plan detailing the project eligibility parameters and process to award the funds. It is anticipated that the funds will be awarded based upon a combination of priority ranking and readiness to proceed to construction.

Learn more at DEP’s Water Infrastructure Investment Plan