Council Approves Stormwater Ordinance, Advocates Call It a First Step.
This was welcome news to members of the Stony Brook-Millstone Watershed Association, the Princeton Environmental Commission, Sustainable Princeton, Friends of Princeton Open Space, and others concerned with the increasing threat of major storms and the rise in developments that turn the ground into hard surfaces that don’t absorb water.
“The passing of Princeton’s stormwater ordinance is a significant step forward to begin addressing these stormwater challenges,” said Molly Jones, executive director of Sustainable Princeton, this week.
The next step is to address redevelopment.
“What Princeton has done is take a big step forward,” he said.
A major source of water contamination is polluted stormwater runoff, which can be tainted by the pesticides and fertilizers spread on lawns, as well as gas and antifreeze that are spilled from cars.
“The leading issue is the issue of redevelopment.
“Between 1995 and 2012, the amount of impervious surface in our watershed increased 30 percent.
The banks start eroding, and that causes big problems.” Not everyone was happy with the ordinance.
Architect Joshua Zinder said he considers himself an environmentalist, but believes “there are still conflicts, ambiguities, and missed opportunities within the ordinance as it stands now,” he told Council.