1. After many years the review process has gotten… slower?!?
Several local municipalities are facing a reckoning of lost emails, bad submittal processes and systems, and massive turnover. We saw a project literally get lost in a computer system for months with no recourse to start over, upload again, or continue. Even the consultant reviewer was beside himself. The worst thing is that the relationships built over years vanished as pay has not kept up with responsibility – or even inflation. This isn’t the case with every locality and here’s hoping the bad ones catch up!
2. The new Rule 5 CSGP has gotten smoother.
Introduced and updated a couple years ago, the municipalities and state seem to have a handle on interpretations and evaluations of SWPPP plans and reviews. There is definitely more to do for the owner, contractor, and engineer, but there is at least some good consistency from project to project and city to city.
3. You can always count on Aqua Swirls! I mean… maybe not…
In October, the national review approval for SQU’s (stormwater quality units) kicked several brands from their approved list – including Aqua Swirl. If you were already in process, you should be okay, but anything submitted from October on will have to be one of only a select few. This will, of course, lead to higher prices, larger footprints, and longer timelines. Hopefully NJDEP will hurry up and finish their evaluations early in 2025!
4. Detention got MORE restrictive. Again.
As time marches, detention has gone from not making things worse (100-year proposed equals 100-year existing) to making it somewhat better that it was (100-yr proposed equals 10-year existing) and a couple years back that changed for a couple select areas or cities to a set allowance (0.1 cfs/ac for 10-year & 0.3 cfs/ac for 100-year). That has caught on as municipalities update their stormwater ordinances. This translates to larger ponds, more proof for infiltration, and some insanely odd outlet structure configurations to make the systems comply. Luckily, it also means that AHJ’s are taking the increase in large rainfall events to heart and will hopefully work to prevent future damage.
5. Inflation? Interest Rates? Politics? No problem…
Staring at the potential for recession and complaints about interest rates and inflation seemed like a perfect recipe for a decline in development and tightening of the market in general. Fortunately, things kept moving forward and some really cool projects for our area have started with more – large and small – on the way!