Board grants consent to Bloomsburg wastewater management plan amendment

The Hunter County Board of Commissioners voted Aug. 19 to consent to the addition of a Bloomsburg wastewater management plan to the Upper Delaware Water Quality Management Plan after county land-use staff recommended approval. Kate Fullerton of the county planning staff told the board the Highlands Council prepared the plan in 2019 and submitted it to the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) in early 2020; NJDEP re‑reviewed the plan and found it compliant with regulatory criteria. The department published a notice proposing the amendment in the Aug. 4 New Jersey Register, Fullerton said. During discussion a commissioner asked why the review process had taken years; Fullerton said the county’s planners have frequent meetings with NJDEP and that staffing shortages at NJDEP had contributed to long review times. The board then moved, seconded and approved the resolution by roll call. The resolution permits the appraisal and administrative steps required to incorporate the Bloomsburg wastewater management plan into the regional water‑quality plan; it does not itself authorize construction or funding for any specific wastewater projects, county staff said.