Newark advances stormwater utility and rate framework
Newark Water Department, New Jersey · Meeting date: October 21, 2026 · Published: October 22, 2026
Newark Municipal Council has authorised a $51,980 emergency appropriation backed by an NJDEP grant to implement a stormwater utility. The programme includes work on a stormwater rate ordinance, credits and appeals programme, data-management tools and utility business processes.
Key points
- Council approved the $51,980 NJDEP-funded appropriation for stormwater-utility implementation.
- Newark will provide a $49,543.44 in-kind contribution, bringing total programme resources to $101,523.44.
- The scope includes a stormwater rate ordinance, credits and appeals programme, data-management tools, business processes and overall implementation.
- The Department of Water and Sewer Utilities will operate the programme.
Full report
Newark has taken a further step towards establishing a stormwater utility, with the Municipal Council approving funding for the programme’s rate-setting and administrative foundations.
The council authorised a $51,980 temporary emergency appropriation supported by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection. Newark will contribute an in-kind match of $49,543.44, taking total programme resources to $101,523.44.
The Department of Water and Sewer Utilities will use the funding to implement a stormwater utility. The stated scope is broader than technical planning: it includes developing a stormwater rate ordinance, a credits and appeals programme, stormwater data-management tools and the business processes required to operate the utility.
The inclusion of credits and appeals work is significant because it places customer treatment and administrative procedures alongside the development of the rate ordinance. The programme is also intended to support overall project implementation.
The stormwater appropriation was among a group of temporary emergency appropriations considered by the council on 21 October. It was approved, with all council members voting in favour of the stormwater item.
Separately, the council approved several Water and Sewer Utilities contracts, including up to $752,787 for inspection, testing, exercising and assessment of large valves in the distribution and transmission system; up to $788,450 for similar work on smaller valves; and a $5.92 million contract with Spectraserv Inc. for Pequannock Sludge Lagoon Remediation. Those awards sit alongside the utility’s move to develop a dedicated stormwater-utility framework.
This summary was generated by AI based on the source document and may contain errors.
Source: Municipal Council, Newark Water Department