Hammonton Stormwater Utility Investigation & Feasibility Study

The Town of Hammonton received a grant from the New Jersey League of Conservation Voters to perform a preliminary feasibility study for the possibility of establishing a stormwater utility in the municipality. The town is uniquely composed of suburban, rural, and agricultural land uses. Like many older municipalities, development outpaced the construction of infrastructure, and the existing pipes, inlets, and manholes have exceeded their useful life by decades. As a result, the town experiences significant flooding during precipitation events.

In 2021, the Town awarded Princeton Hydro with a contract to perform the feasibility investigation. As part of our efforts, Princeton Hydro worked with Town officials to obtain relevant data, including budget information, property classifications, and historical maps and reports. We reviewed the data regarding current stormwater management expenses as well a review of the best available data sources for applicable land use and impervious coverage data. The maps and available GIS data were used to assess the characteristics of the land within each watershed of the Town.

Princeton Hydro developed a stakeholder meeting program, where key individuals, businesses, environmental groups, and nonprofit entities were invited to different forums to learn about stormwater utilities, ask questions, and provide feedback.

The data obtained from the town, in conjunction with the input of the stakeholders, was used to develop a Stormwater Utility Investigation report, which includes preliminary rate structures, that shall be used by the Town Council to decide if it is in their best interest to continue pursuing a stormwater utility and move forward with a comprehensive stormwater utility feasibility study.