NJ - Sewer Service Re-Mapping
BACKGROUND
The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protections (DEP) has proposed a revised Sewer Service Area Map that dramatically revises existing maps. Golf courses appear to have been targeted to be excluded from the Sewer Service Area due to the large amounts of undeveloped land and open space inherent in this use. This represents an overall shift in how water resource planning is implemented throughout the state and will shape future development in a new direction.
The new Sewer Service Area maps were distributed to counties and municipalities for review and comments in the fall of 2008. Municipalities are now in the process of providing comments to the County concerning specific sites. Each County, with the assistance of the DEP, is in the process of reviewing the comments and where appropriate, revising the Sewer Service Area to include sites that were incorrectly excluded.
IMPLICATIONS FOR GOLF COURSE OWNERS & OPERATORS
The revised maps redesignate many golf courses to a non-Sewer Service Area. This has significant consequences for the owners of those facilities:
- Future development is effectively eliminated. New projects will be limited to onsite disposal systems which, in the aggregate generate 2,000 gallons per day or less, assuming the system complies with a new 2 parts per million nitrate standard. This is equivalent to six single-family houses regardless of the number of acres in a tract of land.
- Property values may be drastically devalued. With limited options for development, large amounts of open space and undeveloped land which comprise affected golf courses could be devalued and undermine value needed for periodic refinancing.
WHERE WE STAND
The NGCOA joins the New Jersey Chapter in strongly opposing the dramatic changes in the mapping of sewer service areas for the following reasons:
- Golf facilities that are excluded from the revised sewer service map will be in jeopardy of securing future financing due to property devaluation. The loss of these businesses will have a significant impact on New Jersey’s economy. The state’s golf industry pay over $500 million in taxes, of which a substantial portion ($232 million or 46 percent) is paid to state and local governments.
- Golf courses appear to have been unfairly targeted for exclusion from the Sewer Service Area. This is potentially disastrous for an industry that provides about 26,500 jobs which generate $1 billion in labor income. These jobs are important to an already challenged state economy.
WHAT THE NEW JERSEY GCOA IS DOING
The Golf Course Owners Association is taking an active role in alerting our members to this potential crisis that could further threaten the stability of the industry in these economic times.
WHAT YOU CAN DO
Every golf course owner should
- Review the new Sewer Service Area Map located at your local municipality office NOW and compare it to the current map to determine if your property has been removed from the Sewer Service Area designation.
- If an owner finds the property is excluded from the new map, the owners will need to craft an argument for the DEP and County to support inclusion in the Sewer Service Area, based on the Water Quality Management Planning Rules.
- Contact the Governor and legislators to tell them the revised map hurts your business.
Click Here to be directed to our Legislative Action Center, where you can quickly send a standard or custom email/letter directly to your representatives.
WHERE TO LEARN MORE
NJ Service Sewer Maps
http://www.state.nj.us/dep/dwq/la_area.htm