Requires DEP to establish program to map stormwater infrastructure.

A3081 1R

[First Reprint]

ASSEMBLY, No. 3081

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

222nd LEGISLATURE

�

PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2026 SESSION

Sponsored by:

Assemblyman CHRIS TULLY

District 38 (Bergen)

Assemblywoman� SHAMA A. HAIDER

District 37 (Bergen)

Assemblywoman� MARISA SWEENEY

District 25 (Morris and Passaic)

SYNOPSIS

���� Requires DEP to establish program to map stormwater
infrastructure.

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT

���� As reported by the Assembly Science, Innovation and
Technology Committee on June 1, 2026, with amendments.

��

An Act
concerning stormwater infrastructure mapping and supplementing
Title 58 of the Revised Statutes.

����
Be It
Enacted
by the Senate and General Assembly of
the State of New Jersey:

���� 1.� This act shall be known
and may be cited as the �High Tech Culvert and Drainage Mapping Act.�

���� 2.��� The Legislature finds
and declares that:

���� a.���� many
1
[
counties,
towns, and municipalities
]

local government units
1

, particularly older communities, lack accurate records of existing stormwater
infrastructure, including culverts, drains, and underground pipes;

���� b.��� incomplete or outdated
stormwater data impairs flood prevention, emergency response, and
infrastructure repair and replacement;

���� c.���� advances in drone and
LIDAR technology provide a cost-effective and efficient method to survey and
document such infrastructure; and

���� d.��� a centralized,
comprehensive mapping system is necessary to improve the State�s ability to
manage stormwater, reduce flooding, and plan infrastructure upgrades.

���� 3.��� As used in this act:

���� �Department� means the
Department of Environmental Protection.

����
1
[
�Stormwater
infrastructure� means culverts, drains, underground pipes, channels, and
related features designed to manage stormwater runoff.
]
1

���� �LIDAR� means light detection
and ranging technology used to create high-resolution maps through laser
scanning.

���� "Local government
unit" means a county or a municipality, or any agency, authority, board,
commission, or other instrumentality thereof, any two or more counties or
municipalities operating jointly through a joint meeting or interlocal services
agreement permitted by law, or any agency, authority, board, commission, or
other instrumentality thereof, and any other local or regional entity created
by the Legislature as a political subdivision of the State, or any agency,
authority, board, commission, or other instrumentality thereof.

����
1
�Stormwater
infrastructure� means culverts, drains, underground pipes, channels, and
related features designed to manage stormwater runoff.�
1

���� 4.��� a.� The Department of
Environmental Protection, in coordination with the Department of Transportation

1
[
, counties,
]
1

and local government units,
1
[
,
]
1

shall establish and implement a program, through which the department shall
survey and map stormwater infrastructure throughout the State using drone and
LIDAR technology.

���� b.� In establishing the
program, the department shall prioritize mapping in
1
[
towns, local
government units, and municipalities
]

local government units
1

with aging, undocumented, or vulnerable infrastructure.

���� c.� All data collected under
the program shall be stored in a centralized geospatial database maintained by
the department and shall be made accessible to relevant State, county, and
municipal entities.

���� 5.��� No later than one year
after implementation of the program established pursuant to section 4 of this
act, and annually thereafter, the department shall prepare and submit a report
to the Governor and, pursuant to section 2 of P.L.1991, c.164 (C.52:14-19.1),
to the Legislature detailing, at a minimum, the areas surveyed under the
program, the data collected under the program, and the regions that still
require surveying and mapping under the program.

���� 6.��� The Commissioner of
Environmental Protection is authorized to expend such sums from the existing
administrative and discretionary grant or aid accounts of the department, or
apply for federal grants or appropriations, as required to implement the
provisions of this act.

���� 7.��� The Department of
Environmental Protection shall adopt, pursuant to the �Administrative Procedure
Act,� P.L.1968, c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et seq.), any rules and regulations necessary
to implement the provisions of this act.

���� 8.��� This act shall take
effect immediately.