Regional Stormwater Management Planning in Southern New Jersey

Regional stormwater management plans are comprehensive tools for addressing hydrologic issues in developing and developed watersheds. One of the challenges of creating and implementing watershed-based plans is the fact that watersheds cross municipal boundaries. In New Jersey, there are 566 individual municipalities, each with local jurisdiction over planning, zoning, and land use. New statewide stormwater rules and Phase II NDPES requirements have placed a burden on these municipalities, in terms of creating municipal stormwater management plans. Creation of partnerships between county-level agencies, municipalities, and academia is one way to address these regional issues. This paper presents the challenges encountered and lessons learned in developing Regional Stormwater Management Plans in several watersheds in southern New Jersey. Elements of these plans include detailed characterization and assessment of the watersheds, GIS mapping, hydrologic and hydraulic modeling, and working with municipal, county, state, and non-governmental stakeholders to craft scientifically sound yet implementable management plans.