State Codes and Statutes

Statutes > New-jersey > Title-58 > Section-58-11a > 58-11a-2

58:11A-2.  Legislative findings    a.  The Legislature finds that the people of the State have a paramount interest in the restoration, maintenance and preservation of the quality of the  waters of the State for the protection and preservation of public health and  welfare, food supplies, public water supplies, propagation of fish and wildlife, agricultural and industrial uses, aesthetic satisfaction, recreation,  and other beneficial uses;  and that the severity of the water pollution  problem in the State necessitates continuing water quality management planning  in order to develop and implement water quality programs in concert with other  social and economic objectives.  The Legislature further finds that water  quality is dependent upon factors of topography, hydrology, population  concentration, industrial and commercial development, agricultural uses,  transportation and other such factors which vary among and within watersheds  and other regions of the State and that pollution abatement programs should  consider these natural and man-made conditions that influence water quality.   The Legislature further finds that the State's groundwaters are a precious and  vulnerable resource.

    b.  The Legislature declares that the objective of this act is, wherever attainable, to restore and maintain the chemical, physical and biological integrity of the waters of the State, including groundwaters, and the public trust therein;  and that areawide waste treatment management planning processes  should be developed and implemented in order to achieve this objective and to  assure adequate control of sources of water pollutants in the State.  The  Legislature further declares that wherever practicable and feasible waste  treatment management planning areas shall be coterminous with county  boundaries, and that wherever appropriate county governments shall perform such  areawide waste treatment management planning;  that the Department of  Environmental Protection shall conduct areawide waste treatment management  planning for all areas of the State without a designated planning agency, and  that said Department of Environmental Protection shall establish a continuing  planning process which will encourage, direct, supervise and aid areawide  planning and which will also incorporate water quality management plans into a  comprehensive and cohesive Statewide program directed toward the achievement of  water quality objectives;  that the Department of Environmental Protection  through the continuing planning process and the planning agencies through the  areawide planning process shall coordinate and integrate water quality  management plans with related Federal, State, regional and local comprehensive land use, functional and other relevant planning activities, programs and policies;  and that opportunities for meaningful public participation shall be  provided during all phases of the water quality planning management process.

     L.1977, c. 75, s. 2, eff. April 25, 1977.