In 2012, New Jersey flagged the Lower Passaic River for oxygen as Newark built 14 stormwater systems. 10 years later, those projects captured 265,845 gallons of runoff yearly

Newark's stormwater problem was closely tied to the health of the Lower Passaic River. In 2012, New Jersey listed a section of the river as impaired for low dissolved oxygen. A community effort then brought green infrastructure, stormwater education and hands-on projects to the city. By 2022, monitoring showed dissolved oxygen met the applicable standards, leading to the river segment's removal from the impairment list, as per a report by the U.S. EPA New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection.



For years, stormwater runoff posed a serious challenge for Newark and the Lower Passaic River. Large areas of the city are covered by buildings, roads and other impervious surfaces, leaving rainwater with fewer places to soak into the ground.


In 2012, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection listed the Lower Passaic River section from the 4th Street Bridge to Second River as impaired for low dissolved oxygen. Urban runoff and stormwater were identified as the source of the problem.

A decade later, the picture had changed. Monitoring data showed that dissolved oxygen met the applicable standards, and NJDEP removed the assessment unit from the Clean Water Act Section 303(d) list in 2022.

Why was the Lower Passaic River impaired?

The affected 11.68-mile section of the Lower Passaic River is located in a heavily urbanized part of Newark. The city has approximately 305,000 residents and a population density of about 11,458 people per square mile. Around 79.8% of Newark is classified as urban land, while impervious surfaces cover 37% of the city.

Those hard surfaces generate stormwater runoff that enters Newark's combined sewer system. When that system becomes overwhelmed, untreated sewage can be discharged into Newark Bay.

Newark has also faced nuisance flooding, aging sewer infrastructure and poorly maintained systems. The city is home to the Port of Newark/Elizabeth-Port Authority Marine Terminal, while the Passaic River itself has experienced more than a century of pollution and illegal dumping.

The Lower Passaic River has several assessment units affected by combined sewer overflows, municipal point source discharges, urban runoff, atmospheric deposition of toxins, industrial point source discharges and illegal dumping.

The particular assessment unit from the 4th Street Bridge to Second River was placed on the impaired waters list for dissolved oxygen in 2012. Other sections of the Passaic River have also been listed for pollutants and problems including pathogens, total suspended solids, nutrients, metals and petroleum hydrocarbons.

What did Newark DIG accomplish?

Between September 2013 and August 2016, the Rutgers Cooperative Extension Water Resources Program and its partners worked together to establish Newark DIG, short for Doing Infrastructure Green.

The municipal action team focused on using green infrastructure to manage stormwater runoff. Support came from several City of Newark departments, local nonprofit organizations and regional and state stakeholders.

The project ultimately produced 14 demonstration stormwater management systems. These included rainwater harvesting systems, rain gardens and a bioswale, all designed to capture stormwater that might otherwise enter the combined sewer system.

The work also gave residents and municipal representatives an opportunity to see how green infrastructure could be used as a best management strategy for stormwater runoff.

Beyond those installations, the Rutgers Cooperative Extension Water Resources Program distributed more than 90 rain barrels to Newark residents through four Build-A-Rain Barrel workshops and two informal training programs.

More than 550 Newark residents participated in outreach programs. The initiative also reached local schools, where stormwater education became another part of the effort.

The Stormwater Management in Your Schoolyard program introduced a curriculum focused on the functions of stormwater and watersheds. At another Newark school, an existing rainwater system demonstration was expanded and a rain garden was added. Teachers from schools across the city also took part in an in-service program covering stormwater management, green infrastructure practices and partnership opportunities.

How did the river's water quality improve?

The stormwater projects were designed to reduce untreated runoff from impervious surfaces by allowing water to infiltrate rather than immediately moving into the combined sewer system.

The project's best management practices included seven cisterns and 90 rain barrels, recorded as 97 individual cistern units, along with seven rain gardens or bioretention basins.

Together, the stormwater management systems capture an estimated 265,845 gallons of stormwater every year.

The effort represented a broader push to address nonpoint source pollution in a densely populated urban community. Newark DIG, stormwater demonstrations, rain barrel distribution and education all formed part of that work.

The outcome was reflected in monitoring data. In 2022, results from monitoring station NJHDG-11 showed that dissolved oxygen met the correlating standards.

Based on those results, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection removed the Lower Passaic River assessment unit from the 2022 Clean Water Act Section 303(d) list for dissolved oxygen.

The improvement followed years of work by the Rutgers Cooperative Extension Water Resources Program and its project partners to manage stormwater where it was generated. What began with an impaired river segment and a difficult urban runoff problem ultimately produced a network of green infrastructure projects, community education and an estimated 265,845 gallons of stormwater captured each year.

The strongest part of this story is the clear before-and-after progression: a Lower Passaic River segment was listed for low dissolved oxygen in 2012, Newark's green infrastructure work followed, and monitoring in 2022 supported delisting.

FAQs

Why was the river listed?
Low dissolved oxygen linked to urban runoff and stormwater.

How much runoff do the systems capture?
An estimated 265,845 gallons each year.