Take Notice:
The Division of Water Supply and the Division of Water Quality are promoting situational awareness to the Water Sector (Drinking Water and Wastewater Systems).
Hurricane Hermine has moved across Florida . This afternoon’s forecast indicates that Hermine will track northeast and stay off the coast.
Possible Impacts
This storm event is expected to result in the following impacts to New Jersey :
· Heavy rain in southeast NJ;
· Tidal flooding (possibly including the upper portions of the Delaware Bay and tidal Delaware River );
· Flooding of small streams and low-lying areas;
· Coastal communities are expected to be impacted by rainfall, strong rip currents, and storm surge.
NOAA's water level guidance for Cape May and Atlantic City are modeling up to 4 feet of surge above Mean High or High Water (MHHW) between Sunday and Monday.
Depending on the track of the storm, New Jersey could experience significant rainfall.
Precautionary Measures
In preparation for possible flooding and/or power outages, please take appropriate precautionary measures, such as ensuring auxiliary power generators are tested/operational, fuel tanks are topped off, and provisions for fuel delivery with vendors are made. Also, consider flood protection measures such as sand-bagging at key buildings (e.g. pump stations and treatment buildings) that may be subject to flooding.
The following checklists may assist you with other precautionary measures:
ü http://www.nj.gov/dep/watersupply/pdf/checklist_hurricane.pdf
ü http://www.nj.gov/dep/dwq/pdf/weather-precautionary-measures-waste-n-storm-10-1-15.pdf
NJDEP Notification
Depending on the severity of this storm event and impacts to your infrastructure, notification to NJDEP’s Hotline (1-877-WARN DEP (1-877-927-6337) may be required. The following are considered “reportable incidents:”
· For Drinking Water Systems - Any infrastructure impacts that impact or have the potential to impact water quality, or loss of water pressure must be reported to the NJDEP Hotline within 6 hours of occurrence.
· For Wastewater Systems - Any non-compliance with permit limitation, anticipated or unanticipated bypass or violation as outlined in NJAC 7:10-7:14A-6.10, must be reported to the NJDEP Hotline within 2 hours of the event or knowledge of the event, or 24 hours depending on the nature of the violation (refer to NJAC 7:10:14A-6.10.
In addition, report any non-compliance to downstream drinking water purveyors and your local/county department of health.
Additional Resources
Some additional resources that will help you stay informed and anticipate infrastructure impacts:
· Mount Holly, NJ- National Weather Service Briefing Package
· Stevens Institute Storm Surge Warning Maps
· NJ USGS Real-time Data
· USGS Flood Event Viewer
· NJ Evacuation Route Maps and Storm Surge Maps
· NJAdapt's Coastal Hazard Profiler