Land Use and Environmental Regulation in New Jersey

1
Land Use and Environmental Regulation in New
Jersey

• October 14, 2009
• Flood Hazard Areas
• the NJPDES Rules
• Presented by
• David Restaino, Esq.

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Flood Hazard Areas

• Source http//www.nj.gov/dep/floodcontrol/

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Flood Hazard Areas

• What is a Flood Hazard Area?
• Floodway
• Flood Fringe
• Regulated Water - Water that drains greater
  than or equal to 50 acres, excluding certain
  canals and coastal wetlands

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Flood Hazard Areas

• Inundated by a Design Flood
• Tidal (100-year)
• Fluvial (100-year Safety Factor)
• 100-Year Flood
• 1 Chance of Being Equaled or Exceeded Within A
  One-Year Period

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Riparian Zones

• Different, and also regulated in N.J.A.C. 713
• Like a buffer
• 50, 150 or 300 feet from a regulated water
• Follows the channel, not the floodway

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Riparian Zones

• 300 Feet Category One waters and certain
  upstream tributaries
• 150 Feet Trout waters, TE habitat, acid
  producing soils
• 50 Feet All else .

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Regulated Activities

• Fill, alter topography
• Clear, or cut vegetation
• Impervious surfaces
• Unsecured storage
• Larger structures
• Buildings

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Permits

• Permit-by-rule
• General permit
• Individual permit
• Area specific standards
• Project specific standards
• Emergency permit
• Coastal permit

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Permits

• No construction in floodway
• Permit first, activity second
• Applicability determinations
• NJDEP verification
• 90-day review
• Usually required before an individual permit can
  issue

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Other Issues

• 0 net fill / compensate for fill
• Buildings 1 foot higher than the FHA design
  flood (which itself is 100-year plus one foot)

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Goals

• Flood storage, unobstructed flow
• Keep new construction out of the flood hazard
  area
• Protect plants and critters
• No adverse impact from one property owner upon
  another

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Other Concerns

• Hardship exceptions
• Notice
• Permit Acceptance
• Construction Begins
• Construction Ends
• Enforcement concerns
• Get an engineering consultant !

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Other Concerns

• Source http//www.nj.gov/dep/floodcontrol/about.h
  tm

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The NJPDES Program

• New Jersey Pollutant Discharge Elimination System
• Federal model
• Pollutant broad definition
• Discharge of a pollutant without a permit is
  prohibited
• Permits
• Five years, generally
• Individual permits general permits

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Example

• Discharge to surface water (DSW) permit
• Specifies pollutants that can be discharged
• Specifies quantity of allowable discharge
  (effluent limitations)
• Must measure specified pollutants
• Report / self-certify on monitoring report forms
  (MRFs)
• Responsible corporate officials

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Permits

• Discharge to surface water (DSW)
• Stormwater included
• Discharge to ground water (DGW)
• Underground injection control
• Treatment works approvals
• Indirect users / delegated local agencies (DLAs)
  industrial pretreatment program
• Mini-NJDEPs

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Some General Permits

• Construction activity / stormwater
• Construction dewatering
• Municipal stormwater
• Basic industrial stormwater
• Dental facilities with onsite wastewater
  treatment
• Others

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Individual Permits

• Consistency with water quality management plan
• Detailed application required

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Treatment Works Approvals

• Wastewater
• NJDEP evaluates design and ability to meet
  effluent standards and the evaluation and
  approval actually occurs after the NJPDES permit
  issues
• Projected flow criteria
• Example bowling alley 200 gpd / alley
• More than two buildings or greater than / equal
  to 8000 gpd
• No single family residences, except single
  property with aggregate wastewater design flow gt
  2000 gpd
• Other

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TWAs The Three Stages

• Conceptual approval
• Construction approval
• Two years
• Can be renewed
• Approval to operate

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Construction Stormwater

• Erosion and sediment control best management
  practices (BMPs)
• Control of litter and debris, and like waste
• New e-permitting system from NJDEP, not soil
  conservation districts

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Sewer Bans

• Inadequate capacity, or three months of
  consecutive effluent exceedences
• No new connections no new applications
• NJDEP exemption rules
• Local exemption criteria to be adopted

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General Conditionsand Other Requirements

• Discharge of specified pollutants only
• Non-transferable without written notice
• Best management practices
• Non-compliance reporting is required
• Affirmative defenses (e.g., upset, unanticipated
  bypass)
• Permittee must fund, manage, staff / train,
  inspect and maintain

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Other Issues

• Stormwater pollution prevention plan (SPPP)
• Reclaimed water for beneficial reuse
• Pre-application conferences
• Draft permits, and rights of appeal
• Permit transfer can be automatic

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Contact Information

• David Restaino, Esq.
• 609.896.3600
• drestaino_at_foxrothschild.com