Focus Area 10
Strategy 10.1: Identify the region’s vulnerabilities to
extreme weather and climate change
What and why.
Recent extreme weather and climate change models indicate that communities and the infrastructure
that supports them are increasingly vulnerable and subject to damage from expected extreme weather
conditions in the future. Identifying the region’s vulnerabilities is a critical first step in thoroughly
embedding climate assessment into planning and government decision-making. This strategy recognizes
the importance of key resiliency planning actions that are vital to the delivery of effective and efficient
policies and the protection of communities and infrastructure over the coming decades. Identifying
where potential vulnerabilities exist through Vulnerability and Risk Assessments will help communities
be better prepared for the expected impacts of climate change, including sea level rise, extreme
temperatures, increased precipitation and drought, and extreme flooding. These assessments will allow
the development and implementation of resiliency measures, including policies, regulatory actions and
integrated planning. Being aware of vulnerabilities and well prepared will strengthen communities’
ability to withstand and quickly recover from the expected shocks and stresses associated with climate
change.
Actions.
Actions:
Responsibility:
Timeframe:
1.
Conduct Vulnerability and Risk Assessments in all
communities for vulnerability to extreme weather
and climate change Assessments should analyze the
potential risks to community assets in all sectors –
physical, environmental, economic, social and civic.
Lead:
Municipality
Support:
NJ Resiliency
Network
(Sustainable Jersey)
Medium term
2.
Promote the importance of conducting local (county
and municipal) vulnerability and risk assessments and
incorporating them into hazard mitigation plans and
master plans.
Lead:
NJDEP,NJ OEM, NJ
Resiliency Network
(Sustainable Jersey)
Medium term
3.
Conduct Vulnerability and Risk Assessments of
regional transit and transportation facilities that are
vulnerable to extreme weather and climate change.
Lead:
NJDOT, NJ TRANSIT
Support:
NJTPA
Short term
4.
Promote municipal participation in the FEMA
Community Rating Systems (CRS) program in order to
enhance local flood preparedness and mitigate the
impacts of extreme weather on vulnerable
communities.
Lead:
Municipality
Medium term
Support:
CRS User Groups
and Sustainable
Jersey
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
Identify “communities of concern” (socially
vulnerable populations) that are vulnerable to the
impacts of extreme weather and climate change and
ensure their representation in hazard mitigation and
resiliency planning
Develop a vulnerability assessment template for both
coastal and riverine communities that may be
vulnerable to extreme weather conditions and
climate change and promote the assessment
template and inventory of preparedness and
resiliency policies.
Lead:
Municipality
Short term
Lead:
NJDEP CLUP
(Resiliency Coastal
Communities
Initiative), Rutgers
(JCNERR)
Short to medium
term
Establish a Climate Change Working Group to
coordinate scientific assessments of potential climate
change impacts, including sea level rise projections
and guidance for how to respond to them. Activities
include the formation of a Science and Technical
Advisory Panel to develop a climate impact
assessment and region-wide recommendations for
improving preparedness and resilience to climate
change.
Develop and disseminate local recommendations for
improving preparedness and resilience to climate
change.
Lead:
NJ Climate
Adaptation Alliance
(NJCAA)
Short to medium
term
Lead:
NJ Resiliency
Network
(Sustainable Jersey)
Short to medium
term
Lead:
NJDEP
Medium to long
term
Lead:
NJDEP
Medium term
Conduct a comprehensive evaluation of policies and
regulations governing New Jersey's coastal zone (e.g.
CAFRA) in light of identified risks to a changing
climate, and update the state’s coastal zone
management plan.
10. Identify and prioritize brownfields and sites with
industrial hazardous materials that are vulnerable to
the impacts of existing and future flooding and may
produce off-site pollution and contamination as well
as negative impacts for disadvantaged communities.
Focus Area 10
Strategy 10.2: Adapt communities and infrastructure to
be resilient to extreme weather events and the impacts
of climate change
What and why.
Adapting local, regional and state infrastructure to be more resilient to extreme weather events and the
impacts of climate change will protect the region’s populations, infrastructure and public investments
from future damage and losses. Adaptation strategies include mitigation measures to reduce flooding
risks, programs, policies and design standards to strengthen and make the region’s infrastructure –
utilities, transit and transportation, buildings, the natural environment – resilient to the full range of
potential climate change impacts. Improved design standards, strategic investment strategies, and
emergency communication plans will collectively aid in the protection of communities and infrastructure
from expected hazards related to sea level rise, high winds, extreme cold and heat, increased
precipitation, storm surge, wave action and flooding.
Much of the region’s infrastructure was designed for an earlier era that did not know about climate
change and failed to plan for extreme weather conditions. Superstorm Sandy highlighted the
vulnerability of the aging infrastructure and the widespread impact it had on communities from the
storm’s impact. The damage or loss of wastewater treatment plants, roads, buildings, natural
environment, public transit and other facilities and systems had huge impacts on the population and
economy of the region. The cost of repairing these facilities is unprecedented. Steps should be taken
now to upgrade the region’s infrastructure to in preparation for more extreme weather induced by a
changing climate. While the investment in repairs and reconstruction may be high, the cost of rebuilding
and retrofiting infrastructure after the next extreme event will be even higher.
Actions.
Actions:
1.
2.
3.
Responsibility:
Timeframe:
Provide technical assistance and funding to the 19
northern New Jersey region municipalities in their
efforts to reduce Combined Sewer Overflows and
urban flooding (CSOs). (See Strategy 14.3)
Incorporate climate change policy and adaptation
strategies into capital planning and decision-making
of state agencies.
Lead:
NJDEP
Short to medium
term
Direct future infrastructure investment to encourage
development towards areas that are more resilient
and less vulnerable to the impacts of climate change
while making investments to protect vulnerable
urban communities.
Lead:
Long term
State Office of
Planning Advocacy
Support:
NJDEP, NJDOT,
NJTPA, NJ
TRANSIT, utility
operators
Lead:
Medium term
State Office of
Planning Advocacy
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
Develop and adopt resilient design and construction
guidelines and standards for future climate impacts
to infrastructure (e.g. sea level rise projections for
2050 and 2100) along with commensurate
amendments to regulations, codes, and standards to
meet the new guidelines.
Enhance and implement emergency response
communication protocols to ensure timely
community communication about potential
hazardous risks during extreme weather events.
Lead:
New Jersey Board
of Public Utilities,
NJDOT, Utility
operators
Medium to long
term
Lead:
State and County
Offices of
Emergency
Management,
Support:
municipality
Medium term
Revise the Municipal Land Use Law to require
integration of natural hazard mitigation and climate
change resiliency planning into comprehensive
master plans.
Lead:
State Legislature
Medium term
Amend land use regulations to discourage new
development in highly vulnerable areas while also
identifying measures to fortify areas where
discouragement of development is not possible.
Identify critical infrastructure projects from longterm resiliency plans (e.g. NJ State Mitigation Plan)
and vulnerability assessments and make targeted
investments for resiliency and relocation, of energy,
transportation, water, and communication systems.
Lead:
Municipality
Medium to long
term
Lead:
NJDEP, NJDOT,
NJTPA, NJ
TRANSIT, utilities
operators
Medium to long
term
Achieve more resilient drinking water and
wastewater treatment systems through innovative
technologies.
Lead:
Local water
utilities
Long term
Support:
APA-NJ
Support:
NJBPU
10.
Strengthen and modernize existing infrastructure to
be more resilient, while meeting the forecasted
growth in demand.
Lead:
NJDEP, NJDOT,
NJTPA, NJ
TRANSIT, utilities
operators
Long term
11.
Develop a systematic and sustained training
curriculum to teach transportation facility managers
and infrastructure engineers and operators the
basics of risk analysis and climate science.
Lead:
Rutgers University
CAIT
Support:
New Jersey
Climate
Adaptation
Alliance
Medium term
Focus Area 10
Strategy 10.3: Encourage floodplain buyout programs
and return flood-prone areas to their natural function
What and why.
Floodplain buyouts are the acquisition and relocation or demolition of properties in flood prone areas,
permitting the site to return to its natural state. These programs are important tools because they
compensate landowners for their property and take them out of harm’s way. The remaining lands can
become passive or active storage areas for stormwater and flooding infiltration, and in some cases,
converted into a public park or conservation area. Federal, state, and county governments administer
buyout programs, which take the form of simple acquisitions, or are combined with a relocation
strategy.
Floodplains have been increasingly developed in New Jersey for nearly a century because of their prime
location and proximity to waterfronts, particularly in coastal and tidal areas. However, the individual
and cumulative costs of floodplain development have resulted in expensive property damage, human
suffering and a loss of natural lands to filter and retain water. Restoring these properties to their
natural state will reduce the cost of repairs and reconstruction, and lessen the risk for emergency
responders. Once restored to their original natural state, these lands can provide open space and
recreational opportunities, establish a buffer between existing neighborhoods and flood-prone
waterways and restore natural conditions to help absorb future floodwaters.
Actions.
Actions:
Responsibility:
Timeframe:
1.
Identify and prioritize areas where repetitive flooding
occurs, or is likely to occur due to rising sea levels,
storm surges, and extreme precipitation. This analysis
should draw from vulnerability and risk assessments
conducted across the region (see Strategy 10.1)
Lead:
NJDEP
Support:
NJ Future
Medium term
2.
Incorporate maps and data from recent repetitive
flooding, as well as areas potentially vulnerable to
future flooding into the local master plan and/or
master plan reexamination and hazard mitigation plan.
Develop a suite of buyout options that will relocate
development out of flood prone areas, including TDR
and innovative ways to leverage buyout funding to
extend the “purchasing power” of the State Blue Acres
Program.
Develop and promote a voluntary buyout program as
part of the county (or municipal) all hazards mitigation
plan.
Establish a stable base of funding for the State Blue
Acres program.
Lead:
Municipality
Short term
APA-NJ
Medium term
Municipality,
County
Medium term
State
Medium to long
term
3.
4.
5.
Focus Area 10
Strategy 10.4: Use green infrastructure solutions to
mitigate the impacts of extreme weather and climate
change
What and why.
Green infrastructure refers to the use of vegetation, soils, and natural processes to manage water runoff
and create safer and healthier environments for people (US EPA). Green infrastructure strategies can
protect communities and make them more resilient to the negative impacts of climate change and
extreme weather, such as extreme precipitation, sea level rise and storm surges, while offering a host of
other economic, social, and health benefits. On a regional scale, green infrastructure refers to the
integrated network of natural areas that provides habitat, flood protection, cleaner air, and cleaner
water. At the scale of a neighborhood or site, green infrastructure refers to stormwater management
systems that mimic natural hydrological processes by soaking up and storing water (US EPA). Specific
green infrastructure components include rain barrels, cisterns, permeable pavements, rain gardens,
planter boxes, bioswales, green streets, alleys and parking lots, green roofs and tree canopies.
Green infrastructure can assist in stormwater runoff management, protecting water supplies, and
reducing the number of incidents of combined storm and sewer overflows, particularly in urban areas
where much of the surface is impervious (see Focus Area 14 – Manage Water Systems to Improve Water
Quality). These tools can also reduce ambient temperatures and heat island effects, lower energy
demand, reduce capital costs, and increase storage of carbon dioxide, a gas that contributes to global
climate change. In addition to addressing climate change related impacts, green infrastructure can
improve health and safety and provide economic benefits to property through beautification and noise
reduction. Green infrastructure supports sustainable community goals of growing food locally,
improving energy efficiency, and minimizing and/or preventing damage and disruption to infrastructure.
These tools can play a unique and valuable role in building more sustainable and resilient communities.
Actions.
1.
2.
Actions:
Responsibility:
Timeframe:
Analyze NJ's regulatory structure and policies for public
investment and remove barriers to, and provide
incentives for, the use of green infrastructure,
innovative design, and compatible uses that costeffectively promote climate adaptation while delivering
additional ecosystem service or other benefits.
Incentivize adoption of local (county and municipal)
green infrastructure strategic plans that identify and
prioritize cost-effective and appropriate sites for green
infrastructure measures.
Lead:
NJDEP CLUP
(Resilient Coastal
Communities
Initiative)
Medium term
Lead:
NJDEP
Medium term
Support:
Sustainable Jersey
3.
Promote municipal adoption of Urban Forestry Plans
that maintain an increased tree canopy, particularly near
pavement in order to reduce heat island effect and
provide shading.
Lead:
NJ Community
Forestry Program
at NJDEP
Support:
Municipality
Long term
4.
Dedicate a municipal budget line for maintenance of
tree canopy, i.e. planting, watering, pruning, horticulture
training.
Implement a rain barrel rebate program for installation
of rain barrels at residents’ homes and provide
educational material about the benefits.
Lead:
Municipality
Short term
Lead:
County and
Rutgers
Cooperative
Extension
Support:
Municipality
Short term
Develop municipal and county guidelines for the use of
green (vegetated), blue (water managing), or white
(cooling) rooftops on both public and private buildings in
order to reduce heat island effects, save on energy
costs, and retain rainwater. This action includes
development of stormwater management model
ordinances that emphasize infiltration of stormwater
using rain gardens, bioswales, stormwater trees,
infiltration planters and permeable pavements.
Integrate green infrastructure measures into municipal
and county stormwater management plans.
Lead:
NJ – ASLA
Support:
Natural Resources
Defense Council
Medium term
Lead:
Municipality,
County
Medium term
8.
Develop and implement stormwater management
regulations and practices for above-ground facilities to
detain water (rainwater harvesting, rain barrels cisterns,
and green/blue roofs), subsurface facilities for storage,
(e.g. cisterns) and rainwater harvesting for water re-use
(irrigation for landscaping and indoor water
consumption).
Lead:
Municipal, County
Support:
NJ Chapter of the
American Society
of Landscape
Architects
Short to medium
term
9.
Incentivize the use of green infrastructure measures in
new development through land use regulations.
Lead:
Municipality,
County
Short to medium
term
Lead:
Sustainable Jersey
for Schools
Support:
Vocational
Schools
Medium to long
term
5.
6.
7.
10. Promote green infrastructure education and strategies
in schools.
11. Adopt and implement green maintenance and
purchasing programs that promote sustainable building
and grounds operations.
Lead:
Municipality,
County
Short to medium
term