Senate Budget Committee Signs off on Revisions to Water Accountability Act

February 2020

The Senate Budget Committee this afternoon animously passed a Senate Committee Substitute for Senate Bill No. 647 Senators Linda Greenstein and Troy Singleton), which would revise the cybersecurity, asset management, and related reporting requirements in the “Water Quality Accountability Act” (WQAA), and require the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and the Board of Public Utilities (BPU) to adopt rules implementing the WQAA.

“New Jersey has far too many water problems, whether it is PFOAs, chlorpyrifos, cyanobacteria in our reservoirs, or lead. This bill is important because it will help to address the state’s crumbling water infrastructure. For too long, New Jersey has failed to adequately protect its drinking water and is putting the public at risk. This legislation will require DEP to adopt rules implementing the Water Quality Accountability Act. It will also require the DEP to conduct an assessment of the data every three years, to make sure that problems with our water infrastructure are fixed before they get worse,” said Jeff Tittel, Director of the New Jersey Sierra Club. “Requiring more detailed reports and updating the data will help build pressure and support to take care of existing problems.”