New Jersey to provide Sandy recovery funds for water and wastewater infrastructure

The US state of New Jersey has developed the Statewide Assistance Infrastructure Loan (SAIL) programme to provide water treatment and wastewater infrastructure operators with low-interest, short-term bridge loans in anticipation of future federal disaster aid.

The state is combining federal Environmental Protection Agency and state dollars to create a $1bn fund for water infrastructure loans and grants that will help rebuild and harden facilities, as well as other water supply and wastewater agencies that were hit hard by Sandy.

The storm caused an estimated $2.6bn in damage to wastewater and water treatment infrastructure across the state. It impacted on 94 wastewater treatment plants and knocked out power to more than 400 water systems, 70 of which are considered larger scale community systems.

The New Jersey Environmental Infrastructure Trust (NJEIT), working in partnership with the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), and personnel from the South Monmouth Regional Sewerage Authority (SMRSA), will provide a $2.95m loan package, which will be used to replace and relocate a sewage pumping station at Lake Como in Monmouth County that was damaged by the super storm.

DEP commissioner Bob Martin said that Sandy severely strained water and sewer infrastructure, causing serious disruptions to critical services across the state.

"The SAIL programme gives operators of this infrastructure the financial tool they need to continue implementing recovery measures and to take steps to make these plants stronger and more resilient," Martin added.

The DEP is targeting other federal funding sources and leveraging state dollars to address the state’s estimated $2.6bn in unmet water and wastewater infrastructure needs.