Stormwater Management & Green Infrastructure

Do you know if your area is susceptible to flooding? New Brunswick, New Jersey has moved forward a step as a municipality (May 2024 via TapInto) to establish a stormwater utility. Every time it rains, we know hazardous waste is backing up in antiquated systems throughout flood prone areas. There are solutions to help prevent health hazards caused by stormwater runoff and they start with a plan for regional stormwater utilities and broad, localized green infrastructure. On January 20, 2022, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) Commissioner Shawn LaTourette acknowledged and named real threats to New Jersey residents from climate change: the flood waters will rise and that nobody is magically going to come (and save us but ourselves). Take in our latest co-sponsored webinar from 10/7/24 here.

On January 8, 2024, we shared safety tips ahead of the state of emergency inducing storm and re-shared our collaborative environmental justice and stormwater management webinar series. (see below for the webinar links) Waterspirit’s work with communities throughout the state and in coalition is making strides toward matching funding with critical needs. Linked below is an environmental justice + stormwater management webinar series we dreamt into reality with partner New Jersey League of Conservation Voters, funded by the Watershed Institute.

Given new inland flood protection rules issued by the NJDEP and state-of-emergency level flooding, advocacy is ever necessary.

Current Campaigns

Flood Defense NJ

Throughout the state, the costs of flooding are on everyone’s mind: lives lost and the costs in dollars to communities. Waterspirit joined Flood Defense New Jersey to coalesce with state and local nonprofit organizations to protect all New Jersey communities from damaging floods and harmful, hazardous stormwater pollution.

This coalition helps local communities set up flood defense programs to control flooding, reduce pollution, and increase safety. Exploring proven preventative measures are the superior decision for any municipality, county or resident!

Sewage-Free Streets and Rivers

Waterspirit joined the Sewage-Free Streets and Rivers Coalition Fall 2021 by capturing stormwater stories from the historically marginalized community of Paterson. By seeing and hearing lived experiences of flood victims, policy makers are moved into action.

Sewage Free Streets and Rivers is an action-oriented campaign that empowers community organizations to engage residents and small business owners to shape their communities’ solutions to reduce localized flooding and the raw sewage dumped into rivers and streams due to combined sewer overflows (CSOs).

Preventing sewage overflow into streets and schools will ensure the children in our communities are prioritized!

Stormwater Utilities & Green InfrastrucTURE REsources

Exploring a stormwater utility is an action Waterspirit has been promoting with ever increasing support throughout New Jersey since 2020. Historically, Waterspirit has promoted effective stormwater management policies alongside investments in green infrastructure since inception. Book us for a presentation today!

Recent Highlights

Jersey Water Works is 10 years old and Waterspirit is glad to be partaking in this effort!

Environmental Justice Webinar Series + Jersey Water Works Presentation: The 4 part Environmental Justice + Stormwater Management webinar series was a major success.

Webinar 1: Environmental Justice and Stormwater Management 
Webinar 2: What Public Officials and Local Leaders Can Do To Prevent Flood Disaster
Webinar 3: Environmental Justice and Stormwater Management: Meet the Funders
Webinar 4: Environmental Justice and Stormwater Management: Success Stories + Next Steps

Caring for Earth webinar: Humans motivated by faith and spiritual reflections are moved to take action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, especially at their communal faith spaces. Waterspirit coalesced with several organizations to offer National Wildlife Federation and the Environmental Protection Agency among other leaders to demonstrate the impact faith leadership from all traditions and all levels of engagement may have on caring for Creation, regeneratively. We continue to bridge connections meeting resources with needs from this compelling series. If you wish to book Waterspirit for a presentation, send us a note here.

Students are in need of volunteer hours; what better way to get experience than by tangible, living projects with Waterspirit and our partners and friends? Connect with us to learn more about donating your time and talents.

Coming up: Bring us to your township to talk everything stormwater and green infrastructure! Remember to check our calendar for Waterspirit’s seasonal celebrations.

Visit our Calls to Action page for relevant, timely advocacy activities.