Office of Water Resource Management

WRM Goals The primary goals of WRM include: Clean and Plentiful Water To ensure an adequate supply of clean water to support our state’s needs; minimize the potential for droughts in NJ by ensuring that water is conserved, reused and managed wisely; and monitor, protect and enhance the quality of our rivers, streams, lakes and coastal waters. Public Health To ensure that existing and newly emerging environmental threats to public health and safety are evaluated and addressed and to continue to educate the public about its role in environmental protection. Science-based Decision Making To provide high quality water data and assessments to ensure a solid technical foundation for decision-making on water quality and quantity issues. Sustainable Growth To encourage sustainable growth and livable communities by establishing consistent criteria for the protection of natural resources and application of green design principals into rulemaking, priority – setting and planning efforts. Efficient Service To ensure timely, inclusive and efficient service to NJ residents and the regulated community. The WRM Program establishes water quality and drinking water standards, monitors the waters of the State to ensure surface and groundwater standards are met, helps ensure delivery of water that meets drinking water standards, regulates discharges of wastewater and storm water to surface and ground water, regulates and manages the diversion of water from surface and groundwaters to ensure protection of the resource, and provides low cost financial assistance for finance capital improvements to water infrastructure. The Program works to ensure adequate, reliable, sustainable supplies for current and future needs uses and the environment.