Make Polluters Pay in Jersey City Before Engaging in Political Theater

Every heavy rain in Jersey City brings the same unacceptable reality: flooded streets, overflowing sewers, toxic wastewater on sidewalks, and sewage backing into people’s homes. At this point our schools might as well plan for emergency flash flood days and delayed  openings as they do for snow days. Residents and taxpayers deserve better.

In 2011 the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency entered into major enforcement actions and a consent decree settlement with the Jersey City Municipal Utilities Authority (JCMUA) regarding Clean Water Act violations and combined sewer system overflows, to compel long-overdue sewer system remediation. Yet years later, many flood-prone neighborhoods in Jersey City continue to experience repeated sewer overflows, while residents receive no …