| DEP Awards
$4 Million in Grants to County Environmental Health Partners
(05/26)TRENTON - Commissioner Bradley M. Campbell today
announced that the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP)
will allocate over $4 million in grants to county environmental
health agencies under the County Environmental Health Act (CEHA).
DEP awarded funds to health agencies in all 21 New Jersey counties
and to the Department of Environmental Sciences Air and Noise
Training Program at Rutgers University.
"For over 25 years, CEHA has fostered partnerships between
the state and local agencies for the protection of public health
and the environment," said Commissioner Campbell. "County
health agencies are closely attuned to local environmental needs;
and I am grateful that we have been able to increase the funding
by 16% this year."
The 2005 CEHA grants focus on compliance assistance and emergency
response. For example, the Monmouth County Health Department will
use a portion of its CEHA funds to properly dispose of overstocked
chemicals from public school science labs. Since 1986, over 36,000
pounds of hazardous materials from school laboratories have been
disposed of through Monmouth County's Household Hazardous Waste
program.
CEHA funds also will enable Monmouth County to help municipalities
to comply with DEP's new stormwater requirements. This outreach
project also will explain the potential adverse impacts of improper
land use.
In addition, Bergen and Essex counties will use CEHA grants implement
a Right to Know Pilot Project, which will follow up on facilities
that have failed to file DEP's requisite Community Right to Know
survey. The survey is an annual inventory of environmental hazardous
substances that are stored, produced or used at facilities in
the State of New Jersey. The survey gathers essential information
for both employees at these facilities and local emergency response
personnel.
DEP awarded grants to support Rutgers University's specialized
training courses for county health inspectors to investigate noise
and air pollution complaints.
Governor Brendan Byrne enacted the County Environmental Health
Act in 1978 and the state has since provided an annual grant to
each county health agency. Under CEHA, DEP certifies these health
agencies to conduct environmental health programs that address
air, noise, solid waste, and water pollution as well as hazardous
materials emergency response. In cooperation with DEP, county
health agencies also routinely monitor coastal and fresh water
bathing beaches, investigate environmental concerns, and use Geographic
Information Systems and Global Positioning System technologies
for environmental planning and mapping.
The chart below details the amount of funding awarded to each
county through CEHA.
| County |
CEHA |
| Atlantic |
$159,500 |
| Bergen |
256,000 |
| Burlington |
227,000 |
| Camden |
250,000 |
| Cape May |
130,000 |
| Cumberland |
150,000 |
| Essex |
262,000 |
| Gloucester |
165,000 |
| Hudson |
254,000 |
| Hunterdon |
150,000 |
| Mercer |
165,000 |
| Middlesex |
185,488 |
| Monmouth |
213,000 |
| Morris |
161,950 |
| Ocean |
188,570 |
| Passaic |
221,000 |
| Salem |
186,000 |
| Somerset |
165,000 |
| Sussex |
152,500 |
| Union |
245,000 |
| Warren |
162,500 |
| Rutgers Noise |
22,730 |
| Rutgers Air |
32,150 |
| TOTAL |
$4,104,388 |
|
