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New Jersey's Nonstructural Stormwater Strategies Point System - Primer

September 14, 2007

In order to protect groundwater resources and surface water quality in the State of New Jersey,the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) adopted a new set of Stormwater Regulations (Regulations) in February of 2004. These Regulations set a new standard for maintaining groundwater recharge and limiting the adverse impacts of uncontrolled stormwater runoff on the environment.

Although the Regulations emphasize the importance of using nonstructural stormwater strategies in a site design, they do not provide a mechanism to determine that a site has embraced these strategies to the greatest extent practicable. The Department sought to address this issue by developing the “Nonstructural Stormwater Strategies Point System” (Point System or NSPS).

In the fall of 2006, Stony Brook-Millstone Watershed Association hosted a public information session on NJDEP’s Point System. As a result, the Association commissioned a primer to provide municipal officials, planning boards and environmental commission members with an understanding of the importance of nonstructural stormwater strategies in the design of developments in their towns.

Download the NSPS Primer (Requires Adobe Acrobat Reader)

Link to NJDEP's Nonstructural Stormwater Strategies Point System Information