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NJ Department of Environmental Protection
Dam Safety Section
501 East State Street
P.O. Box 420
Trenton, NJ 08625-0420
Mail Code 501-01A
Phone: 609-984-0859 |
ENFORCEMENT EFFORT UPDATE
Since October of 2008, the Department has issued 74 Notices of Violation (NOVs) to the owners of 53 dams. The violators included the owners of both publicly and privately owned High and Significant Hazard dams. Dam owners in every part of the State have received NOVs. The violations ranged from the failure of the dam owner to submit inspection reports, Operation and Maintenance manuals and Emergency Action Plans to the failure to respond to a request for required information. In addition, owners have also been penalized for the failure to complete dam repairs, maintenance and modifications in accordance with the New Jersey Dam Safety Standards. The penalties ranged from $2,500.00 for the failure to submit inspection reports to $230,000 for the construction of an illegal dam. To date, the Department has collected $285,000 from 19 different dam owners. Many dam owners have decided to pay the penalty and submit the deficient information rather than face litigation.
The Department will continue to identify owners with deficient dams and prepare Administrative Orders and Notice of Civil Administrative Penalties. If you are a dam owner and are uncertain of your regulatory status, please contact this office.
It is the Department’s hope that dam owners recognize their responsibility toward dam operation, inspection and maintenance and that minimum enforcement effort is required to achieve compliance with Dam Safety Standards. Penalties collected from the enforcement effort have been placed in the Environmental Services Fund which is designated for use by the Department for the removal of unsafe and abandoned dams.
If you have any questions regarding the Bureau’s effort, please contacted John Kale at (609) 984-0859 or at john.kale@dep.nj.gov.
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