The Kirkwood-Cohansey Aquifer is one of the essential life resources in South Jersey. This aquifer is what allows our homes, farms, and businesses to thrive. Without a local source of water from the aquifer, residents will struggle to find clean and affordable water for their households, farmers will lose crops, and local businesses will face hardship. In Winslow Township, the aquifer is especially at risk, now reaching 138% beyond its capacity to replenish itself according to recent analysis.

The Pinelands Commission, which works to protect the aquifer from overuse, has a rule that developments and corporations seeking to pump more than 50,000 gallons per day must apply to the Commission to ensure that the proposed use does not harm the aquifer and the other residents, businesses, and farms that depend on it. 

Despite the urgent need for the protection of this resource in a time of global warming and drought, the Mayor and some Town Council Members in Winslow Township are attempting to overturn the protections of the aquifer through the joining of a lawsuit against the Pinelands Commission. They seem bent on letting the aquifer become depleted from wasteful overuse by golf courses, landscape irrigation for large developments, and warehouses. 

This is especially egregious at a time when New Jersey is still in a drought which threatens our water resources and ecosystems. We must band together to protect the future of our aquifer, prevent corporations from overusing our resources, and our elective officials from supporting it.