Legislative Panel Meets to Discuss Needed Improvements, And Potential Funding Mechanisms
(TRENTON) – Assemblyman John McKeon (D-Essex, Morris) led a joint legislative panel on Wednesday in a continuing discussion of the current condition of the state’s water infrastructure and what must be done to improve the system. McKeon issued the following statement on the hearing:
“For our second hearing, we concentrated on three specific areas concerning the state’s water infrastructure: annual water loss audits, standards of infrastructure, and asset management. We felt it was important to discuss how much clean water we may be losing through excessive leakage, what are the standards for our infrastructure and are we meeting them, as well as the bureaucracy behind determining rates and affordability for consumers.
“With one in 9 people in the world not having access to clean water and with the average New Jerseyan using approximately 135 gallons of water a day, to waste as much as 30 percent of clean water through leakage is immoral, and incredibly expensive. We have to do better.
“Compiling information, analyzing the current and near future state of our water infrastructure, and translating this into meaningful legislative action is a gargantuan task which requires multiple sessions to ensure all invested parties have an opportunity to ask questions and take part in these conversations.”
McKeon is co-chair of the Joint Legislative Task Force on Drinking Water Infrastructure, which convened at 10 am Wednesday morning. The hearing began with testimony from Congressman Frank Pallone (NJ-06).
For video of McKeon’s opening statement please visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i5j-YexAyGs.