Poll: New Jersey voters view clean water as top priority, support additional funding
Clean Water, Healthy Families, Good Jobs Campaign releases poll on New Jersey voter attitudes towards water infrastructure and water quality issues.
Trenton, NJ – A new poll released today by the Clean Water, Healthy Families, Good Jobs Campaign shows that clean water is a top concern for New Jersey voters. New Jersey’s water infrastructure is in need of significant upgrades to ensure that all residents have access to clean water.
“Water is a fundamental need, so it’s not surprising that New Jersey voters view water quality and infrastructure as a top issue,” said Diane Schrauth, New Jersey Future Policy Director for Water and chair of the campaign. 77% of New Jersey voters reported that they have some concern about water quality overall with just under a third of New Jersey voters reporting that they have experienced or are aware of some kind of water quality issue in their community including the presence of lead service lines, emerging contaminants like PFAS, flooding or water main breaks.
“Governor Murphy and the State Legislature have taken important steps in closing the clean water funding gap in New Jersey,” said Ed Potosnak, Executive Director of New Jersey League of Conservation Voters and campaign steering committee member. “There is still much more work to be done, which is why we’re heartened by the Governor’s commitment to investing more of New Jersey’s remaining share of American Rescue Plan funds in water infrastructure,” he continued. “As the polling shows, few issues garner as nearly universal agreement across party lines as water quality.”
The poll found 86% of New Jersey voters approve of Governor Murphy’s budget address announcement calling to invest more federal funds in water infrastructure. When asked if they thought New Jersey should spend more, less or about the same on water infrastructure, 51% responded that they would like to see New Jersey spend more.
In a follow-up question, voters were asked to consider their top priorities and then state their support for spending more, about the same or less on water infrastructure with the caveat that, in the scenario they were presented with, spending more on water infrastructure would mean less money for other priorites. Notably, a larger portion of New Jersey voters (60%) reported supporting more funding for water infrastructure.
“Access to clean water isn’t nice to have, it is essential,” said Kate Gibbs, Deputy Director of ELEC 825 and campaign steering committee member. “New Jersey voters clearly recognize this and when presented with a hypothetical trade-off, a greater number of voters actually support more funding for water infrastructure, which underscores the point,” she continued.
Governor Murphy and the New Jersey State Legislature committed $300 million from New Jersey’s share of American Rescue Plan funds to water infrastructure in last year’s budget.
“The $300 million in last year’s budget was a step in the right direction and will help fix combined sewer systems to keep sewage out of our streets and homes,” said Nicole Miller of NewarkDIG and campaign steering committee member. “All New Jersey residents deserve equal and affordable access to clean water no matter where they live. There is much more work to do and now is the time to invest these federal dollars while we still have a chance to make the biggest impact,” she continued.
The Clean Water, Healthy Families, Good Jobs Campaign is calling for an additional $700 million investment this year. An additional $700 million investment would create over 13,000 jobs statewide and an additional $2.9 billion in economic benefits.
“An additional $700 million investment in water infrastructure would have a truly transformational impact that will create a healthier, more affordable future for New Jersey families,” concluded Schrauth.
Read coverage on the New Jersey Globe: https://newjerseyglobe.com/climate/clean-water-campaign-pushes-for-more-water-infrastructure-spending-with-new-poll/