Both UK and International Stormwater Manufactured Treatment Devices are often certified under New Jersey’s stormwater treatment protocols and best practices, but who are NJDEP and NJCAT and what do they do?
As the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) certification program for stormwater Manufactured Treatment Devices (MTDs) has evolved over the years, one issue has remained constant: confusion among stormwater professionals regarding the distinct roles of NJDEP and the New Jersey Corporation for Advanced Technology (NJCAT) in administering the program. Many professionals tend to overlook NJDEP entirely and mistakenly refer to the program as the NJCAT program.
Despite these misconceptions, both entities have well-defined and important roles.

NJDEP, NJCAT what are they and what are their roles in Stormwater Treatment Devices?
NJDEP, NJCAT and Stormwater Treatment Protocols for MTDs
NJDEP is a state regulatory agency responsible for managing various environmental programs and policies in New Jersey. In contrast, NJCAT is a public-private partnership established through legislation to facilitate the market entry of innovative energy and environmental technologies. NJCAT specifically supports stormwater management treatment device (MTD) providers by overseeing the verification and certification process established by NJDEP. Additionally, NJCAT advises MTD providers on what is acceptable or unacceptable within the parameters of the program.
In addition to New Jersey’s stormwater regulations and Best Management Practices (BMP) Manual, NJDEP is responsible for the testing protocols and the accompanying process documents that define the certification process for MTD). These documents were developed in collaboration with a stakeholder group that includes MTD providers, stormwater professionals, NJCAT, and NJDEP. This group meets several times a year to address new issues and plan the future of the program.
NJCAT implements the certification process. It collaborates with MTD providers to create a Quality Assurance Project Plan (QAPP) that complies with the established protocols. After testing is completed, NJCAT works with independent reviewers to evaluate the results, ensuring their accuracy and adherence to the protocols. NJCAT also manages the public comment and conflict resolution processes built into the program.
Once the data has been reviewed and confirmed to be accurate and compliant, and any concerns raised during the public comment process have been addressed, NJCAT issues a final verification report. This report is then posted and sent to NJDEP. The last step in the process is for NJDEP to issue a certification letter. NJDEP only issues certification letters for verification reports that are fully compliant with the protocol and process. Until a certification letter has been issued MTDs are not approved for use in New Jersey.
It is important to note that while NJCAT is a credible verification entity, it occasionally issues verification reports for MTDs tested against other standards that do not fully meet NJDEP requirements. These reports are included in the NJCAT verification database but are not eligible for NJDEP certification.
In summary, NJDEP is the regulatory authority in New Jersey that issues certifications for MTDs that meet their standards. Only certified MTDs may be used for stormwater compliance in New Jersey. NJCAT is a verification entity that plays a critical role in administering the NJDEP MTD process. NJCAT issues verification reports for testing that fully complies with current NJDEP MTD requirements as well as for some studies that do not. All verifications whether certified or not are posted on the NJCAT Verification database. Those studies which also receive NJDEP certification are distinguished by a certification letter on NJDEP’s MTD website.
It is also vital to note that the protocol was updated for 2021 and that many certifications have lapsed. It is worth checking if the alleged certifications are still valid or if the MTD was ever on the NJDEP certified MTD listing.
For information about 3P Technik’s stormwater Manufactured Treatment Devices see our stormwater product pages.