The Passaic Valley Sewerage Commissioners (PVSC), keeping in step with their original mandate to alleviate pollution in the Passaic River, are working in conjunction with various federal, state, and local organizations to protect and restore our local environment.

PVSC partnered with neighboring sewerage agencies in northern New Jersey to form the New Jersey Harbor Dischargers Group (NJHDG).  The NJHDG consists of ten agencies, representing twelve treatment plants that discharge to the New York-New Jersey Harbor Estuary.  This group was established in the early 1990's to implement Harbor related pollution control programs in a cost effective manner.

As a representative of the NJHDG, PVSC actively participates in the New York-New Jersey Harbor Estuary Program (HEP).  The vision of HEP is to establish and maintain a healthy and productive Harbor/Bight ecosystem with full beneficial uses.  PVSC holds a seat on the HEP Management Committee, along with representatives of EPA, NJDEP, NYSDEC, NYCDEC, NOAA, Port Authority, and the Department of the Interior.  PVSC also attends regular meetings of the following HEP workgroups: Toxics, Toxics TMDL, Nutrients, Pathogens, Dredged Material Management Integration, and the Contaminant Assessment and Reduction Project.  These workgroups were formed to assist the implementation of the Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan of HEP.

The NJHDG, funded by the NJDEP, is conducting a toxics trackdown to evaluate loadings from publicly owned treatment works (POTW) outfalls, combined sewer overflows, and storm water overflows.  The purpose of this project is to provide toxic loading data to be incorporated into the CARP model, for use in the management of dredged material.  The NJHDG is also funding and performing a PCB trackdown pilot to locate unknown discharges of PCB's to a local municipal sewer system.  The group additionally funded a metals monitoring and modeling program in the harbor which resulted in the need for the development of a TMDL for nickel in the Hackensack River.

The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) recently initiated a program to develop comprehensive management plans for clean and plentiful water for New Jersey's watershed management areas.  PVSC is a stakeholder in Watershed Management Areas 4, 5, and 7. Representatives of PVSC hold the positions of Chairperson on both the Public Advisory Committee and the Education and Outreach Committee for WMA 4 ( Passaic & Saddle Rivers ) and are active in the Technical Advisory Comm for that watershed.

PVSC also participates in the New Jersey Watershed Ambassadors program.  This is a community-oriented AmeriCorps program hosted by the NJDEP Division of Watershed Management. Through this program, an AmeriCorps member is placed in watershed management areas across the state, ready to serve their watershed community.  After two weeks of intensive training in volunteer monitoring techniques, watershed management issues and presentation skills, AmeriCorps members are placed with a host agency in their home watershed management area.  The PVSC serves as host agency for the WMA 4 Watershed Ambassador.

Watershed Ambassadors monitor the rivers of New Jersey through River Assessments and Biological Assessments volunteer monitoring programs.  The members also train community volunteers in these two volunteer monitoring techniques.  Members are available to make presentations to community organizations and schools, which provide information about water and watershed issues in New Jersey.