County of Essex

Amount Appropriated?

$2.8M

FFID tracks stages 1–2 — stages 3–5 vary by agency, assistance type, and earmark structure.

Project Description

Reduce Stormwater Run-Off \nThe counties in northern New Jersey are among the most densely populated counties in the United States. This has resulted in vast amounts of impervious land cover, which poses a major challenge to stormwater management. Without a natural ability to absorbs stormwater into the ground, most precipitation is forced into the municipal sewer system, which also transports raw sewage to proper treatment facilities. During heavy rain events, the contents are combined, and the capacities of the sewer system are pushed to their limits, resulting in raw sewage entering natural waterways, causing severe damage to the environment, and significantly altering the ecology. Some of the impairment issues stem from hypoxia effects on the aquatic ecosystem, varying elevated pathogen contamination, municipal wastewater, and CSO systems. \n\nThe requested funding will allow for construction of an urban farming system that will be designed to capture stormwater and filter it on-site before it is redistributed as grey water. This grey water will be used to irrigate the rooftop farm and flush toilets and urinals in the same building. These aggressive water conservation and re-use practices will result in less runoff, which will significantly reduce local flooding and protect local waterways such as the Hudson River, Upper Bay and Kill Van Kull. \nReduce Urban Island Heat Effect \nThe urban heat island effect raises temperatures, which increases energy demand for air conditioning and refrigeration, all of which places stress on municipal resources and the regional energy grid. The urban heat island effect also reduces air quality, which puts a tremendous amount of stress on people that live and work in these areas, resulting in variety of healthcare issues. This project will reduce the urban heat island effect by utilizing rooftop vegetation that uses the sun\u2019s rays to support plant and fruit growth, all the while generating oxygen and absorbing excess heat.