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Plainfield hears MS4 watershed plan; mapping due in 2026 as part of NJDEP permit
Summary
Pennoni Associates presented Plainfield’s MS4 Tier A watershed improvement plan and mapping schedule; the firm and city staff said field mapping (including 46 outfalls) will be completed for GIS submission in 2026 and used to target pollution, flooding and NJDEP compliance.
Chris Perone of Pennoni Associates told the Plainfield City Council that New Jersey municipalities have been designated MS4 Tier A and that a watershed improvement plan — beginning with field mapping — is a required deliverable under the permit.
"This is our first public information session," Perone said, describing an inventory program in which crews open manholes, inspect outfalls and log stormwater infrastructure into a GIS. He said the mapping phase must be finished in 2026, with plan development in 2027 and a finalized plan by December 2027 for NJDEP compliance.
Perone reported that the team has cataloged multiple feature types and attributes and that Plainfield has 46 outfalls identified so far. He highlighted statewide context: "90% of New Jersey's waterways are considered impaired," and he cited stormwater runoff as a major pollutant source the plan will target.
Council members asked how the mapping work would help neighborhoods that flood. Perone said the map lets engineers identify capacity shortfalls and maintenance problems — for example, areas where inlets, conveyance pipes or pump stations are undersized or clogged — and that solutions range from increased maintenance to upsizing and construction projects funded through grants or capital planning.
City staff confirmed that the mapping deliverable will be provided in GIS format and that Pennoni will follow up on when the last similar study was done in Plainfield. Perone and staff emphasized that the MS4 outreach will be repeated semiannually and that materials will be posted on the city's website for public review and comment.
Next steps: field data collection and mapping through 2025–2026, analysis and plan development through 2027, then plan finalization for permit submission.
