Camden County voters weigh tax increase for $400 million water infrastructure overhaul

Voters in Camden County, New Jersey, will decide Nov. 3 whether to increase the county's open-space tax to help fund a $400 million plan to reduce sewage overflows, improve water quality and limit flooding.

The proposed plan would address aging infrastructure that allows stormwater and wastewater to mix in some areas. During heavy rain, the system can overflow, sending raw sewage into local waterways, including the Cooper River.

"This is about human health," Don Baugh of Upstream Alliance said. "It's about bacteria. It is about sewage."

County officials estimate that 800 million gallons of raw sewage enter Camden County's waterways each year, with about a quarter coming from a single large outfall.

"We need to re-engineer this system to disallow that water from coming out in rainstorms and polluting this waterway," Scott Schreiber of the Camden County Municipal Utilities Authority said.

The proposed $400 million project would separate stormwater from sewage and direct wastewater to treatment plants, reducing the amount of untreated sewage entering waterways during storms.

Supporters said the upgrades could also reduce flooding in streets and homes, where floodwater can contain sewage.

"What you're going to see is less flooding on the streets and less flooding in people's homes," Baugh said. "And that flooding on streets and in people's homes is sewage. So, it's going to be sewage out of people's neighborhoods as well as out of their waterways."

The improvements could also help protect water quality for people who use the rivers for recreation.

To help pay for the project, county officials want to increase the open-space tax from 2 cents to 3 cents per $100 of assessed property value. For a home assessed at $220,000, the increase would amount to an additional $22 per year.

Frank Mangano of Pennsauken supports the proposal, saying the cost is worthwhile if it helps protect local waterways.

"It's a drop in the bucket. It's a no-brainer," Mangano said. "We need clean water."

Supporters said the additional revenue would help secure loans and attract more state and federal funding for the project.

However, voters must weigh the potential environmental and public health benefits against the higher tax, as well as questions about the project's long-term costs and oversight.

Roy White of Camden said he supports the plan because of its potential benefits for the environment and local residents.

"I still will go along with that plan because I feel still you're helping the environment, helping the people in the city with the water system," White said.

Camden County voters will see the question about the tax increase on their ballot this Election Day.