Innovative Developer Requirements for Meeting CSO Reduction Goals

The North Hudson Sewerage Authority (Authority) owns and operates the combined sewerage system within Hoboken, Weehawken, and portions of West New York and Union City, New Jersey. To meet the goals of their long-term control plan (LTCP), the Authority is required to reducetheir combined sewer overflow (CSO) events. The largest obstacle to stormwater control is the land resources available to allocate for stormwater storage in this highly developed urban area. The Authority realized the benefit of using innovative strategies to reduce the rate and quantity of flows entering into the combined sewer system during wet weather events. Ultimately, it was determined that many new development sites would require actively controlled stormwater systems. The Authority navigated through many iterations of its sewer connection requirements while addressing the challenges of their legal jurisdiction within private property. New maintenance requirements were developed in tandem with an online tool to be used by the sewer connection applicant for determining each applicant's storm water detention volume and control requirements. The online tool encourages the use of innovative green infrastructure technologies by providing credits for their use and for maintaining or increasing pervious area. Implementation of the new requirements is a critical step for meeting goals of the LTCP and for reducing the amount and severity of CSO discharge events to the Hudson River.