Just before Obama leaves office, EPA Funds Projects to Support Water Conservation and Prevent Chemical Pollution from New Jersey Businesses During Flooding
EPA Provides $399,358 in Grants to Rowan University, the College of New Jersey And the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection
12/05/2016
Contact Information:
John Martin (martin.johnj@epa.gov)
212-637-3662
(New York, N.Y. – December 5, 2016) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has awarded $399,358 to organizations in New Jersey to fund projects that will help businesses reduce chemical pollution and conserve water. These grants, which were awarded to Rowan University, the College of New Jersey and the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, are part of the approximately $5 million in grants the EPA awards each year to prevent pollution across the nation.
"New Jersey is facing its worst drought conditions in years, while many low-lying areas of the state remain under threat of flooding,” said EPA Regional Administrator Judith A. Enck. “These pollution prevention grants will help businesses conserve water and reduce the use of toxic chemicals, protecting people’s health throughout the state.”
The EPA awarded the Sustainability Institute at the College of New Jersey $197,023 to provide technical assistance to businesses located in flood-prone areas of the state. The technical assistance will focus on strategies to reduce the use of hazardous chemicals and ensure the safety of chemical storage and use by businesses in areas at risk of flooding. The College of New Jersey will also develop a best management practices manual, and will provide training to businesses and local governments at three locations throughout the state. Results of this training and outreach effort will be disseminated statewide through the College of New Jersey’s Sustainable Jersey certification program.
With the help of a $104,000 EPA grant, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection will train high school students in Cape May County in water conservation techniques. The students will then provide technical assistance to thirty businesses in the cities of Wildwood and Ocean City on water conservation practices and products, focusing on businesses that cater to the county’s large influx of summer tourists each year, such as restaurants and hotels. Increased water demand in Cape May County has significantly reduced its aquifers, causing its aquifers and residential wells to be threatened by saltwater intrusion.
Rowan University will use a $98,335 EPA grant to provide pollution prevention technical assistance to a Nestlé Corporation facility in Freehold, New Jersey. Rowan University will implement green engineering strategies at this facility to reduce water use, energy consumption, and waste generation, thereby lowering operating costs for the manufacture of coffee. Using this facility as a case study, Rowan will then hold a seminar on pollution prevention practices for personnel at other Nestlé facilities and in other areas of the food manufacturing sector. Rowan will also share this case study and best management practices at professional conferences and in trade publications.
For more information on the EPA's pollution prevention program, visit http://www2.epa.gov/p2.