Profile: Jim Newton

Jim is the Environmental Program Manager, where he handles air pollution issues, health and safety issues, and  storage tanks.  He tracks new and revised regulations and advises the county on the need to comply, develop or revise the Sanitary Standards in the Kent County Code.  Jim also manages the county's Fats, Oils and Grease (FOG) Program that will be permitting restaurants and requiring the use of grease traps, and is the County’s pretreatment coordinator where he manages a staff to monitor twelve significant industrial users.

Before arriving in Delaware almost two years ago, Jim worked for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as a corporate environmental manager and consultant.  During his career he has conducted several seminars on emergency response planning, environmental auditing, and other environmental issues.  He has investigated numerous groundwater and soil contamination sites across the country, has been a project manager for major remediation projects and has designed remediation systems and overseen their installation.  Jim has also designed or been project manager for several industrial pretreatment facilities.   He has prepared numerous permit applications, written many procedures, had over 30 feature articles published in national magazines, and written eight books on environmental/ regulatory issues. He also established an industrial plant-wide environmental council that won a state-wide award for activism, both at the plant and within the community.

Jim has an MS in Engineering Science and a MS in Civil Engineering, both from the University of Buffalo (SUNY-Buffalo).  He has over 27 years of experience as an environmental engineer and is licensed as a Professional Engineer in 14 states and is a Diplomate in the American Academy of Environmental Engineers. With his vast experience, Jim is able to help advise the Murderkill team as they develop Pollution Control Strategies (PCS).   He feels the PCS process “provides a sense of ownership for all those involved [in the process], and with ownership comes responsibility.” 

Jim understands the individual responsibility and impact we all have in the environment, however in order to reduce nutrient loads in the Murderkill he feels it will require a combined effort from all stakeholders involved, including DNREC, Kent County, municipalities, the agriculture community, and other residents of the watershed to make a difference.  He hopes to convey this to others on the team and within the community by gaining advisement assistance from the Murderkill team as the Kent County Wastewater Treatment Plant develops an Environmental Management System, as well as through the establishment of the Murderkill River Environmental Education Center.

Jim and his wife of 24 years, Susan, live in Milford. They have four children Danielle and Stephanie, 21, John David, 16, and Robby, 14.  They lived in Atlanta, GA, Long Island, NY, and Port St. Joe, Florida prior to moving to Delaware.  Besides attending Tributary Team meetings, Jim runs in marathons, recently completing the ING-New York City Marathon in November.  He is also an amateur photographer, and likes to write, including three novels, a collection of short stories, and poems.  Jim recently co-wrote a musical called Da Bills, which he teamed up with fellow Trib Team member Kenny Glanden. They have a web site that they'd like you to visit.

Jim Newton can be reached by email at James.Newton@CO.KENT.DE.US.