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TagsState warns counties and towns not to dump snow in waterways
With South Jersey in the zone for as much as 6 to 12 inches of rain and snow and North Jersey in line for 3 to 6 inches beginning Wednesday morning, the state is warning counties and towns there are environmental factors to be considered when clearing snow.
AccuWeather.com is forecasting the storm will begin with rain and change to either snow or a mixture of rain and snow as it moves north toward New England. The forecast calls for rain to begin falling in South Jersey by 7 a.m. and for the storm to be well north of Bergen and Passaic counties by 7 p.m.
The Department of Environmental Protection is advising cities, towns and counties that in the absence of adequate snow storage, the disposal of snow into New Jersey's waterways is not a routinely acceptable.
However, Commissioner Bob Martin said the DEP will consider authorizing such an action in emergency situations on a case-by-case basis during major snowstorms.
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Martin said factors to be considered include the size of the water body, presence of environmentally sensitive areas, flow of the waterway, amount of floating ice or snow this will cause, impact on downstream dams, and impact on channels being blocked.
The commissioner said snow cannot be dumped in wetlands, small streams, waters that contain shellfish beds or drinking water reservoirs. He stressed that there may be unknown contaminants in the snow that could pollute waterways.
"Protecting the state's rivers, bays and lakes, as part of our water supply, is a priority of Gov. Christie and the DEP,'' Martin said. "Any town, city or county that wants to put mass amounts of snow in our waters must get DEP approval.''
Authorizations to place snow into surface waters can be requested through the DEP's Emergency Management Program or the State Police Emergency Operation Center. The option is not available to private businesses or residents.
— TOM HESTER SR., NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM
