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A 3078

Requires DEP to establish online flood, rainfall, river level, and sewer capacity dashboard.

2026-2027 Regular Session Introduced by Shama Haider and 1 co-sponsor

Establishes a real-time, publicly accessible NJ flood dashboard by DEP with standardized data reporting to monitor municipal flood risk and improve coordination.

Reported out of Asm. Comm. with Amendments, and Referred to Assembly Environment and Solid Waste Committee
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Bill Summary · A 3078

Summary of Bill A 3078 (NJ, Session 222)

Purpose and intent

  • Establish a statewide, publicly accessible, real-time flood monitoring dashboard managed by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (DEP).
  • Create standardized data reporting and ongoing evaluation of reporting requirements to improve data quality, reduce municipal burden, and enhance coordination across state, county, local, and federal agencies.

Key provisions

1) Development and publication of an online dashboard
- DEP must develop and publish within 12 months of enactment a publicly accessible, searchable dashboard on its website to track municipal flood risks in real time.
- Dashboard content (minimum requirements):
- Rainfall and precipitation levels
- Local river levels
- Total water level rise in waterways/flood zones (surface water rise, sea level rise, river level rise, sewer overflow as applicable)
- Storm and flood surge
- Drainage complaints
- Reported flood damage
- Current sewer and stormwater system capacity
- History of municipal flooding incidents during the previous year
- Other features DEP deems necessary for a comprehensive system
- During active storms or flood risk periods (as determined by the National Weather Service), DEP must update dashboard information at least weekly with the most current data.

2) Data reporting by counties and municipalities
- Counties and municipalities must report data to DEP as DEP determines necessary to operate the dashboard.
- DEP will establish a process with standardized digital formats for data submission.

3) Federal funding
- DEP may pursue federal grant funds or other federal assistance to support the dashboard’s establishment and ongoing maintenance.

4) Ongoing review and standardization (annual, starting one year after dashboard is publicly available)
- DEP must annually review the dashboard and related data reporting requirements with goals to:
- Reduce administrative burden on municipalities
- Update and standardize data reporting protocols
- Improve data utility and cross-system sharing (including with other State departments/agencies, counties, local governments, and federal authorities)
- Review components include:
- Identifying and eliminating duplicative reporting
- Assessing need for standardized formats, requirements, protocols, and systems (potentially requiring machine-readable data)
- Assessing State IT needs to support data-driven flood risk monitoring
- Anticipating uses for enhanced technologies and systems
- Enabling systems to accept and analyze additional metrics
- Identifying opportunities to centralize/modernize flood and stormwater infrastructure, processes, and analytics
- Identifying federal funding for data collection improvements

5) Administrative action and effective date
- DEP shall adopt regulations as necessary under the Administrative Procedure Act to implement the act.
- Effective date: one year after enactment. The Commissioner may take anticipatory actions to implement the bill before then if needed.

Who/what is affected

  • State: New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (lead agency for dashboard creation, data collection, and standardized reporting).
  • Local governments: Counties and municipalities (required to report data in standardized formats; potential reduction in duplicative reporting over time).
  • Emergency agencies: Local and County emergency management operations (to provide data and utilize the dashboard).
  • Stakeholders benefiting: Residents, businesses, planners, and responders who rely on real-time flood risk information and standardized data for decision-making.
  • Potential funders: Federal agencies (through grant programs) for dashboard development and maintenance.

Timeline and procedural notes

  • Day 0: Bill introduced and referred to committee (January 13, 2026).
  • Within 12 months of enactment: DEP must develop and publish the dashboard.
  • Ongoing: DEP updates during active flood risk periods (weekly minimum) and collects/standardizes data annually beginning one year after dashboard availability.
  • Regular rulemaking: DEP to adopt regulatory provisions as needed under the Administrative Procedure Act.
  • Financing: DEP may apply for federal funding to support the dashboard.

Practical impact

  • Improves transparency by providing a centralized, real-time view of flood risk indicators at the municipal level.
  • Aims to streamline data reporting, reduce redundancy, and improve coordination among state, local, and federal entities.
  • Establishes a framework for scalable data integration, potentially enabling better flood risk planning, emergency response, and infrastructure investment decisions.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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