CSO Training and Events

CSO Workshop

On March 6, 2019 the DEP hosted a combined sewer overflow (CSO) Public Participation Workshop in Elizabeth, NJ. Seventy permittees, CSO supplemental team members, regulators and interested individuals attended. The workshop was led by three facilitators from EPA.

DEP’s Deputy Commissioner welcomed attendees by sharing DEP’s priorities, which includes protecting New Jersey’s water. She spoke about the two major milestones of the CSO permits and how these submissions must be developed with meaningful feedback. Deputy Commissioner Mans also shared her personal experiences as a former supplemental CSO team member. Our guest speaker, Ed Suslovic, came to us from the New England Environmental Finance Center in Maine and spoke about effective public engagement, how to reach a broad audience, the importance of creating a task force and the “process, relationship, results” triangle. Watch Ed’s video clips below.

The workshop included two breakout sessions designed to get the attendees working together. The first breakout session answered the questions of what unique capacities/information/assets can supplemental teams contribute, what information do permittees/public need and how do these responses pose opportunities for engaging the supplemental teams. Teams reported that supplemental teams can contribute diverse expertise and share their networking connections. The permittees need templates and to understand the community concern. The public needs real world effects on the community. These responses give the opportunity to engage, educate and empower the community.

In the second breakout session, groups mapped their stakeholders into different quadrants (high/low interest vs. high/low power). Attendees identified the media, residents, mayors and municipal managers as examples of stakeholders that have high interest and high power. Feedback on this breakout session confirmed the usefulness of the exercise and helped groups think outside the box.

The City of Elizabeth spoke about its use of surveys during its CSO supplemental team meetings and how effective they are in providing immediate feedback. Finally, Ironbound Community Corporation shared how they set a target goal for attendance at their ward-based meetings and shared their tips on making meetings interesting and fun. See both presentations below.

Topic	Format
City of Elizabeth Public Participation March 6, 2019 Speaker: Daniel J. Loomis, PE, CME, City Engineer City of Newark Long-Term Control Plan March 6, 2019 Speaker: Drew Curtis, Senior Equitable Development Manager Connecting with the Community Speaker: Ed Suslovic PRR Triangle Speaker: Ed Suslovic

Meet the Funders & Technical Resources : Forging Links between CSO Permits and Redevelopment Goals

On Friday December 4th DEP and the Office of Planning Advocacy hosted a CSO Workshop titled “Meet the Funders & Technical Resources: Forging Links between CSO Permits and Redevelopment Goals.” This meeting focused on the funding and technical assistance opportunities for CSO communities and how redevelopment can be tied to reducing CSOs in your city. Addressing CSOs is an opportunity to advance multiple goals of your municipality, such as redevelopment, investing in water infrastructure, reducing localized flooding, and increasing green space. State and Federal partners discussed what the CSO permit requires and how it can support important goals of your City, and the funding and technical assistance available to do so. This workshop was tailored to those that work in and with CSOs municipalities (and counties) on topics such as redevelopment, planning, open space, brownfield reuse, green infrastructure, engineering, stormwater and wastewater.

A “Guide to the Agencies” was developed for this meeting, which is designed to briefly outline the key programs and resources that state and federal entities offer related to CSO and redevelopment.

Topic

Format

Agenda Advancing Multiple Municipal Objectives through the Combined Sewer Overflow Permit Speaker: Julie Krause CAMDEN SMART: A Community-Driven ‘Incremental’ Approach to Stormwater Management and CSO Reduction Speaker: Frank McLaughlin Jersey City Redevelopment Agency: Canal Crossing Speaker: Benjamin Delisle NJEIFP Funding Resources Speaker: David Zimmer HDSRF Funding Speaker: John Doyon EPA Funding and Technical Resources Speakers: Michael Shaw & Sabina Pendse

The New Jersey Environmental Infrastructure Financing Program (NJEIFP) Update

In September 2015, the NJEIFP held a series of seminars focusing on programmatic updates and the Proposed Priority System, Intended Use Plan, and Project Priority List for Federal Fiscal Year 2016, issued by the Department on August 28, 2015. New Jersey has expanded the NJEIFP to fund the development and implementation of Long Term Control Plans. Applications for LTCP planning and design loans have no due date. Planning and Design loans will be 100% interest free for terms of up to 10 years with the expectation that the studies will result in a capital improvement project for the LTCP.  Construction projects sponsored by permittees or membership municipalities in the CSO sewershed that reduce or eliminate excessive infiltration/inflow or extraneous flow would qualify for DEP interest-free financing for 100% of the allowable project cost for a loan term of up to 30 years. Up to $3M in principal forgiveness ($1M per sponsor) will be awarded to CSO abatement projects utilizing green infrastructure.

The seminars focused on financing available for CSO Permittees, detailed above, as well as the following:

• New Loan Programs and Legislative Changes;
• New Project Prioritization and Principal Forgiveness;
• Operational Changes; and,
• New Federal Requirements

Topic	Format
The "New" EIFP Speakers: David Zimmer, Executive Director, NJEIT Scott Shymon, Bureau Chief, Construction, Payments, and Administration, NJDEP Karen Fell, Assistant Director, Water System Operations, NJDEP Frank Scangarella, Assistant Director, NJEIT

To download the Intended Use Plan please visit https://www.njeit.org/

For more information on CSO specific funding please visit - New Funding Options Available for CSOs Under the NJEIFP.

Discharge Monitoring Report (DMR) Training Videos

Below is a three part video training series that is specifically designed to assist CSO permittees in understanding, completing and submitting their CSO Discharge Monitoring Reports (DMRs). The introduction provides a brief overview of the training series. In Part I, a general overview of the Monitoring Report Forms required for CSO reporting (i.e. DMRs) will be provided. This will include a discussion on the endorsement and submission requirements associated with CSO DMRs, as well as a discussion on electronic submission of the reports. In Part II of the training series, a DMR and its associated submittal form will be explored in more detail. In addition, parameter-by-parameter, an example DMR will be completed using a series of hypothetical examples.

Topic	Format
CSO DMR Training Introduction CSO DMR Training Part I CSO DMR Training Part II

Reinvesting in Urban Water Infrastructure through Combined Sewer Overflow Long Term Control Plans. Below are presentations from the January 8, 2015 CSO workshop.

*The CSO workshop presentations are available in two formats, a PDF version and Video (.m4v).

Topic and Speaker	Format
Welcome Speaches Jean Leary Matthews, Clean Water Division, USEPA Region 2 Dan Kennedy, Assistant Commissioner, Water Resource Management, NJDEP Peter Kasabach, Executive Director, NJ Future Ras J. Baraka, Mayor, City of Newark
Your New Combined Sewer Overflow Permit - Opportunities and Requirements Combined Sewer Overflow Permitting in New Jersey Pilar Patterson, Bureau Chief, NJDEP, Division of Water Quality
Financing Water Infrastructure Upgrades     Moderator: David Zimmer, Director New Jersey Environmental Infrastracture Trust Managing Costs through Regular Investments Andrew Kricun, P.E., BCEE, Executive Director/Chief Engineer, Camden County MUA Financing Green Infrastructure Khris Dodson, Associate Director, Environmental Finance Center Financial Capability and Schedule Development Kevin Weiss, Chemical Engineer, Water Permits Division, US EPA
Improving the City of Camden through Water Infrastructure Upgrades     Reinvesting in Urban Water Infrastructure through Combined Sewer Overflow Long Term Control Plans Dana L. Redd, Mayor, City of Camden, and Meishka L. Mitchell, Bice President of Neighborhood Initiatives, Coopers Ferry Partnership
Tools for Building Collaboration and Community Engagement Moderator: Khris Dodson, Associate Director, Environmental Finance Center   Community Engagement in Long Term Control Planning Kerry Kirk Pflugh, Manager, Constituent Services, NJDEP NJ Model Stormwater Ordinance Revisited Donna Drewes, PP/AICP, Co-Director Sustainability Institute at TCNJ and Sustainable Jersey Program Partnerships in Action: Three Examples from New Jersey Chris Sturm, Senior Director of State Police, New Jersey Future Newark DIG, Doing Infrastructure Green Kim Gaddy, Environmental Justice Organizer, NJ Clean Water Action/Clean Water Fund and Pam Daniels, Unified Valisburg Services Organization
Making Green Infrastructure Work for Your Community Moderator: Maureen Krudner, Green Infrastructure Coordinator, US EPA Region 2     How to Incorporate Green into Your Long Term Control Plan Chris Kloss, Green Infrastructure Coordinator, US EPA, Office of Water Realistic Expectations for Green Infrastructure for CSO Communities Carter H. Strickland, Jr., Vice President and Managing Principal, HDR Inc. Getting More for your Money: CSO Upgrades, Parks and Flood Control Stephen D. Marks, Municipal Manager, City of Hoboken Green Infrastructure: State Requirements Adriana Caldarelli, Environmental Specialist, NJDEP, Division of Water Quality, Stormwater Management Questions and Answers
Take Charge: Proven Strategies to Make Your Long Term Control Plan Work for You     Green Infrastructure in Action at DC Water George S. Hawkins, General Manager, District of Columbia Water and Sewer Authority Part 1 Part 2 Part 3
Additional Documents from the CSO Workshop     CSO Workshop Attendees List

Topic and Speaker	Format
Agenda Combined Sewer Overflow Long Term Control Plan Review Stan Stephansen, Clean Waer Division, USEPA, Region 2 Combined Sewer Overflow Workshop Mohammed Billah, USEPA, Office of Water CSO- Long Term Control Plan Mohammed Billah, USEPA, Office of Water