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Steven Meyer outlines watershed inventory report and mapping requirements at DOA workshop
Summary
At a DOA commission workshop, environmental scientist Steven Meyer summarized the completed watershed inventory report required under the municipal separate storm sewer system permit, explained mapping obligations and timelines, and answered public questions about smoke testing, sump-pump connections and data methods.
Steven Meyer, an environmental scientist and the appointed board engineer, presented the completed watershed inventory report and the new mapping requirements tied to the municipal separate storm sewer system permit at a DOA commission workshop.
Meyer told attendees the permit cycle that began in 2023 created a three‑phase process: a watershed inventory (already submitted), a watershed assessment (due by the start of next year) and a watershed improvement plan due at the end of 2027. He said the inventory includes mapped municipal stormwater infrastructure — outfalls, pipes and inlets — and metadata used to estimate drainage areas and to flag waterbody impairments and TMDLs (total maximum daily loads).
Why it matters: the mapping gives towns and the state a consistent base for identifying pollutant sources, prioritizing projects and pursuing grants or loans for implementation. Meyer said towns can use the inventory to roughly estimate which outfalls convey runoff to specific water bodies and to identify hot spots for follow-up projects.
Meyer described the content submitted to the state: locations of outfalls and inlets, estimates of impervious area and notation of retrofit features (for example, grates or retrofitted inlet heads). He said many reports are under state review and that Interlaken’s submission was approved the day before the meeting; once approved by the state the reports will be posted on municipal webpages. "We prepared these reports and then our infrastructure data was updated and the reports no longer match what the updated infrastructure was," Meyer said when asked about state comments, adding the usual state feedback has been to update infrastructure data so the report matches the currently approved inventory.
On data-gathering methods, Meyer responded directly to a public question: "I can confirm that no AI was used." He and other participants emphasized that most mapping work has been field-driven (GIS inventory and on-site verification), which participants said has involved substantial staff time and expenses.
Attendees raised practical issues: repeated findings that residents were discharging sump pumps into sanitary sewers, smoke testing to detect illicit connections, and the limited measurable effect correcting some nonpoint discharges may have on short-term water‑quality spikes. Speakers explained smoke testing procedures — injecting nonhazardous smoke into sewer mains to reveal backflow into laterals and homes — and noted towns typically notify residents in advance.
Meyer encouraged continued public and municipal participation, invited DPW superintendents and planning boards to review the presentation materials, and offered to share files with municipal contacts so approved reports can be posted online. He also described the state’s minimum outreach requirement (at least two public meetings per year) and clarified that the submission process occurs through the NJDEP portal (NJP online) rather than by a formal town vote.
The workshop closed with an agreement to continue outreach and to coordinate with utilities and local groups on problem spots; Meyer said additional meetings will follow as towns receive state approval for their reports.
