GARDEN STATE ENVIRONEWS 030506
GSENet
GARDEN STATE ENVIRONEWS
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
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{*} MCGREEVEY ENACTS PROTECTIONS FOR NJ'S OCEAN WATERS
{*} MORE WATER WORRIES IN MONROE
{*} PEOPLE AND FISH - BOTH DESERVE CLEAN WATER
{*} STUDY TO EXAMINE HOW CELL PHONE TOWERS AFFECT ENVIRONMENT
{*} DEP ORDERS AIR TESTS FOR TWO BUILDINGS
{*} SPRAWL LINKED TO INCREASE IN AMERICAN GIRTHS
{*} MCGREEVEY OKS ETHANOL PLANT PLAN
{*} OLD, FORGOTTEN DUMPS WAITING TO BE FOUND
{*} ONE MAN'S TRASH IS ANOTHER'S RECYCLABLE
{*} UPCOMING PEQ ENERGY SAVINGS WORKSHOP - MAY 19
{*} MORRIS COUNTY'S GREEN TABLE - MAY 20
{*} CAMPAIGN FOR THE WATERFRONT - MAY 20
{*} RARITAN BASIN LEADERSHIP WORKSHOP - MAY 21
{*} FOUR WATER RESOURCE MANAGEMENT SEMINARS - PA - JUN 11, 12
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MCGREEVEY ENACTS PROTECTIONS FOR NJ'S OCEAN WATERS
Date: 030504
From: http://www.state.nj.us/
GOVERNOR SIGNS LEGISLATION SETTING STRICT STANDARDS
FOR PCBS IN DREDGED MATERIALS
May 04, 2003
Sandy Hook - Taking a significant step toward safeguarding the
State's precious ocean resources, Governor James E. McGreevey today
signed a bill, Senate Bill 1969, strictly limiting the amount of
polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in dredged materials transported
through New Jersey's waters for disposal off New Jersey's coast.
"With this new law, we will have the power we need to protect our
coastal resources and more importantly, our families, from harmful
materials like PCBs," said McGreevey. "The message is clear: Any and
all dredged materials dumped in New Jersey's ocean waters must meet
our strict health standards. If they do not meet our tough standards,
you can take the materials elsewhere."
The Governor was joined by Department of Environmental Protection
(DEP) Commissioner Bradley M. Campbell, Congressmen Rush Holt and
Frank Pallone, ocean advocates, and bill sponsors Senator Joseph
Palaia, and Assemblymen Reed Gusciora and Steve Corodemus.
More than 100 students and parents from Nut Swamp Elementary School
located in Middletown, Monmouth County, joined Governor McGreevey to
support the bill signing. As part of an "Action Through Government"
project, the students sent postcards to the Governor asking him to
support the ban of unsafe ocean dumping off of the New Jersey coast.
"New Jersey's residents can be assured that the persistent threat of
unsafe levels of PCBs in dredge materials used to cap toxic areas off
of Sandy Hook has been laid to rest," said DEP Commissioner Campbell.
"Under Governor McGreevey's leadership, this Administration has issued
important health advisories to warn the public of harmful
concentrations of PCBs in fish, and it has now acted to reduce a
source of that contamination."
"Today is a good day for the ocean. The state has taken a bold and
important step toward ensuring that the ocean continues to improve,"
said Clean Ocean Action's Executive Director Cindy Zipf. "The swift
action and unanimous, bipartisan support for this legislation is proof
of the unwavering commitment of all citizens to a healthy ocean."
At an oceanfront event at Sandy Hook Gateway Recreation Area,
Governor McGreevey signed a bill that bans the transport of all
sediments with PCB concentration that exceed 113 parts per billion -
as tested in the tissues of worms exposed to the dredged materials -
that are slated for placement at the Historic Area Remediation Site
(HARS) or any other ocean site within New Jersey's waters. HARS is
located about three and one-half miles off the coast of Sandy Hook.
At the urging of the Governor, the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) finalized a similar rule this year that set the 113 parts
per billion standard for PCB concentration in dredged material
destined for HARS. The passage and the signature of New Jersey's
legislation will help enforce the stricter standard and solidify the
state's ability to protect its citizens, ocean waters and marine life.
"Today's bill signing, on the heels of EPA's finalization of a PCB
guideline, provides a double victory for the Jersey Shore weeks before
the summer beach season begins," Pallone said. "Both of these actions
solidify the importance of the 113 PCB standard, making it virtually
impossible for contaminated materials to be sent out to the old Mud
Dump Site."
"A clean ocean is important for New Jersey and the nation, and we
should take every step to keep it clean. I applaud the administration
and the state legislature for passing this bill," said Holt.
Elevated levels of PCBs from dredge spoils represents a health risk
to humans and wildlife, and threatens the environment and the safe
recreational use of New Jersey's shores. Long-term exposure to PCBs
has been shown to cause a number of serious health effects, including
impacts on the nervous system of developing fetuses, the immune system
and the reproductive system. PCBs are also considered a probable human
carcinogen.
The HARS is a 15.7 square nautical-mile area located approximately
3.5 nautical miles east of the New Jersey Highlands. HARS was
designated to allow EPA and the Army Corps of Engineers to remediate
portions of the ocean floor that had been contaminated by disposal
practices dating back to the 1800s. To properly cap and remediate the
HARS and ensure that contaminants are not released, only dredged
material that meets federal requirements is allowed to be placed
there.
"This bill could not have been signed a minute too soon. No family
should have to worry about their kids' health when they go swimming at
one of New Jersey's beaches," said Senator John H. Adler (D-Camden).
"As we enter into the summer season, those up and down the Jersey
Shore should have the peace of mind that their waters are protected.
These provisions will set up strict standards for those transporting
cancer-causing materials through our state waters."
"The state must protect its citizens from increased exposure to
harmful carcinogens in our coastal waters," said Gusciora (D-Mercer).
"Just because the federal government has relaxed its standards of PCB
contamination doesn't mean New Jersey should follow suit."
"Increasing the harmful levels of PCBs in New Jersey's coastal waters
is a disservice to our residents and the tourists who enjoy our
beaches," said Van Drew (D-Cape May). "It's time to draw a line in the
sand and stop dumping highly contaminated sludge into our ocean."
"New Jersey has a long and proud history of protecting and investing
in our waterways and coastal areas. We cannot afford to jeopardize our
hard work and our shore tourism industry," Palaia said.
"It is imperative that as legislators we do everything in our power
to ensure that these harmful toxins are kept away from people and that
our shores remain clean. The current methods of disposal were
unacceptable, adopting and enforcing the federal standards will help
improve and protect our natural resources," said Corodemus.
- - -
Photos and audio and video clips from Governor McGreevey's press
conferences are available on the Governor's web page at
http://www.state.nj.us/governor/. Links are located in the Governor's
Newsroom section of the page.
* * *
Contact: Micah Rasmussen, 609-777-2600
State of New Jersey Governor's Office
PO Box 004
Trenton, NJ 08625
Copyright (c) State of New Jersey, 2002
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MORE WATER WORRIES IN MONROE
Date: 030505
From: http://www.philly.com/
THE DEP IS INVESTIGATING THE SOURCE OF THE DRY-CLEANING FLUID AND
MERCURY FOUND IN THE GROUNDWATER IN TIMBER LAKES
By Kaitlin Gurney, Philadelphia Inquirer Staff Writer, May 05, 2003
Monroe Township - Dottie Mack shook her head as a decontamination
unit was installed in her basement to remove mercury from the well
water she has been drinking for more than 30 years.
She and her husband moved to the remote Timber Lakes community on the
eastern edge of Gloucester County in 1971 to raise their children
under the canopy of tall trees lining a lake. But in the last three
years, her husband died of multiple sclerosis, a son died from liver
damage, and another son has struggled with diabetes.
The mercury-tainted water they took with their medicine "can't have
helped," Mack, 58, said Thursday as she watched workers drill into the
concrete floor to reach the water pipes.
New Jersey's Department of Environmental Protection is investigating
the source of the mercury and dry-cleaning fluid polluting groundwater
in Monroe Township's 250-home Timber Lakes development. Nine home
wells have tested positive for contaminants since November, and DEP
investigators will return to test 22 more homes in June.
A map of the sprawling township is dotted with the names of
neighborhoods where residents blame a litany of health problems on
contaminants in their water. In addition to mercury and industrial
cleaners, harmful levels of radium, lead and benzene have surfaced in
well water in the last 10 years.
While other areas of South Jersey have also discovered well-water
contamination, Monroe has become infamous for it. Seven of the state's
16 publicly funded cleanups in Gloucester County are in the township.
Mercury has been found to cause kidney and gastrointestinal damage,
as well as brain damage in developing fetuses. Ingestion of industrial
cleaners and similar contaminants can induce headaches, loss of
coordination and nausea.
The source of the contaminants remains largely a mystery even after
years of research, said Julia Barringer, a hydrologist at the U.S.
Geological Survey's New Jersey offices.
"We're still at the hypothesis stage," she said, explaining that the
mercury could have come from fertilizers once used for farming and
that solvents could have leached from septic systems. Mercury and
other contaminants have been found naturally in the underlying
Kirkwood-Cohansey aquifer, but at very low levels.
A PUSH FOR HOOKUPS
"It seems that mercury somehow present in the soil gets mobilized and
makes it down to the groundwater," Barringer said. "When you look at
all of South Jersey, wherever you have residential development and the
Kirkwood-Cohansey aquifer close to the surface, we find problems."
County and state tests in 2000 found high concentrations of mercury
in 19 wells in Monroe's 170-home Crystal Lake neighborhood and unsafe
levels of cleaning solvents in 30 wells in the township's 57-home
Woods at Williamstown East community. The two developments were later
hooked up to municipal water, which has also had contamination
problems but is tested more regularly, using money from the state's
Spill Compensation and Control Act.
Extending water lines to outlying Timber Lakes would likely be too
expensive, township officials said, so residents might have to manage
with state-funded point-of-entry treatment units, such as the one
installed at Mack's home. But neighborhood association president Tony
Ayres said the area should have access to municipal water - and may
sue to get it.
"The township has had 10 years to come up with a solution to this
problem," said Ayres, a former councilman. "Once officials were aware
of the problem and failed to act, they incurred a liability. They just
hope it's going to go away, and clearly it's not."
WARY OF EXPENSE
Mayor Michael Gabbianelli, who experienced a mercury scare at his
Woods at Williamstown East home, said he was not sure the township
should go into debt to extend water lines to Timber Lakes. If a new
development was proposed for the area, the builder would pay for water
lines, and in neighborhoods such as Gabbianelli's, the situation
became severe enough that the state paid for water hookups.
"If we were to take the bull by the horns here, we would have to
pay," said Gabbianelli, who took office in January. "It would take
everyone's tax dollars, but the water goes for John Doe's house on the
lake."
Meanwhile, residents in other Monroe neighborhoods that depend on
well water are growing nervous.
The Gloucester County Health Department has tested 27 homes in
Diamond Lake, down the road from Timber Lakes, but results are not yet
available.
"When we learned about Crystal Lake, we were concerned, but not
alarmed, because that's on the opposite side of the township," said
George Banks, president of the Diamond Lake homeowners' association.
"Now it's next door."
The state's Private Well Testing Act, which took effect in September,
requires water testing at all homes supplied by a private well as a
condition of sale. Assemblyman George Geist (R., Gloucester)
introduced the legislation after contamination surfaced at Crystal
Lake and Woods at Williamstown East.
But because problems have been so widespread in Monroe's corner of
the county, the county Health Department offers well-water testing to
most homeowners who request it, said Bill Atkinson, chief sanitary
inspector for the county.
More testing will find more contamination, said Ed Knorr, president
of Quality Environmental Concepts, an environmental consulting firm in
Williamstown. All new developments are hooked up to municipal water,
but nearly 40 percent of the township relies on well water, he said.
"This is my business, so I know the problems are much more far-
reaching than one development or a couple of homes," said Knorr,
former chairman of the township's environmental commission. "You have
women and children suffering who should be served by municipal water.
The township needs to map out the problem and develop a solution."
That solution is providing municipal water to the whole township,
said Ellen Harbinson of Crystal Lake, who blames her nerve damage on
mercury in her well water.
"After one neighborhood stops drawing from their wells, the mercury
moves down to another area," she said. "So many people in this
township have health problems, and I don't think it's a coincidence
that there are water problems as well."
Mack, meanwhile, said she just wished she had learned about the
mercury earlier.
"I'm so scared," she said, adding that she is awaiting blood-test
results. "I have so many questions about what mercury can do."
* * *
Contact staff writer Kaitlin Gurney at 856-779-3910 or
kgu...@phillynews.com.
(c) 2003 Philadelphia Inquirer. All Rights Reserved.
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PEOPLE AND FISH - BOTH DESERVE CLEAN WATER
Date: 5 May 2003
From: "carol" {ca...@njconservation.org}
THE STATE WE'RE IN
By Michele S. Byers, Executive Director
New Jersey Conservation Foundation
April 30, 2003 - Volume XXXIII, No. 16
Until recently, protections to high quality streams in New Jersey
were reserved primarily for trout streams.
Governor McGreevey just announced new protections for nine reservoirs
and six ecologically sensitive river and stream segments, all parts of
our state 's drinking water supply system. Including these new stream
segments and reservoirs is the first time existing regulations will be
used to safeguard high-quality drinking water supplies will be used.
McGreevey had delivered on a pledge he made on last year's Earth Day.
"One year ago, I stood before you and made a commitment to: protect
these fifteen precious water resources," he noted. "Today, not only
have we met that commitment, but I once again promise that we can and
will do more to safeguard our drinking water supplies for future
generations."
The new rules designate 15 water bodies as "Category One" (C1) waters
- the highest form of protection available under state regulations,
designed to prevent any measurable deterioration in existing water
quality.
"In the past year, I have taken aggressive actions to protect our
water and open space. Among them, we collected more fines and more
compensation for environmental damages by polluters in our first year
than the prior Administration did in almost its entire tenure," stated
Governor McGreevey.
That's great news for the 3.5 million New Jerseyans (over 40 percent)
who drink from the nine reservoirs that received C1 protection. The
reservoirs, to name a few, include: Round Valley in Hunterdon County,
which supplies residents in central New Jersey; Doughty Reservoir,
which supplies Atlantic City; Oradell Reservoir in Bergen County,
which supplies residents of Bergen and Hudson counties; Boonton
Reservoir in Morris County, which supplies residents of Essex,
Passaic, and Hudson counties; and Swimming River Reservoir, which
supplies residents of Monmouth County.
In addition, the protections will preserve water quality along almost
200 miles of streams and waterways, including portions of the South
Branch of Rockaway Creek in Hunterdon County, Sidney Brook in
Hunterdon County, Flat Brook in Sussex County, the Pequest River in
Warren County, Assiscunk Creek in Burlington County, and Beaver Brook
in Hunterdon County.
Consider that these protections can also have a beneficial impact on
controlling sprawl. C1 protection means that sewage treatment plants
needed for new housing projects can no longer discharge into these
protected streams and water bodies! Making it harder to develop in our
countryside means that we must also work harder than ever to make our
existing cities and towns more attractive places for people to live.
I hope these will be the first of many water bodies granted C1
protection. The NJ Department of Environmental Protection has
developed a comprehensive list of additional candidates and will work
with the public and local officials to determine how to protect them.
As we learned from the historic drought that finally broke late last
year, we can never be too careful with our water supplies. Isn't it
just common sense to use C1 designation to protect New Jersey's
drinking water?
After all, aren't we as important as the fish and all the other
critters dependent on clean water?
If you ever have questions about conserving New Jersey's precious
land and natural resources, I hope you'll contact me at 1-888-LAND-
SAVE or in...@njconservation.org, or visit NJCF's website at
http://www.njconservation.org.
* * *
Carol K. Banhart
New Jersey Conservation Foundation
Bamboo Brook
170 Longview Road
Far Hills, NJ 07931
Phone: 908-234-1225 x101
Fax: 908-234-1189
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STUDY TO EXAMINE HOW CELL PHONE TOWERS AFFECT ENVIRONMENT
Date: 030502
From: http://www.enn.com/
GOVERNMENT TO STUDY HOW CELL PHONE TOWERS AFFECT THE ENVIRONMENT
By David Ho, Associated Press, May 2, 2003
Washington - Federal regulators launched a broad effort Thursday to
study and police how the growing number of cell phone and broadcast
towers sprouting across the country affects historic sites, Indian
land, and the environment.
Federal Communications Commission Michael Powell said his agency will
work with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to study why migratory
birds fly into towers. An estimated 5 million to 50 million birds die
in such accidents each year, according to Fish and Wildlife.
"I know there's a problem, and towers are one of the possible
causes," Powell said. "We don't know exactly how or why."
Researchers suspect that lights on the towers attract the birds.
Powell said more research is needed to understand the problem and the
role of lights and tower height and design.
Powell said the new plan is the FCC's first comprehensive effort to
protect the environment and historical sites while speeding the
installation of communications equipment. The FCC intends to hire more
staff, improve cooperation with industry, toughen enforcement of
environmental rules, and possibly change regulations.
The cell phone industry expressed concern. "Dead spots and dropped
calls can only be eliminated by new cell sites," said Tom Wheeler,
president of the Cellular Telecommunications & Internet Association.
"Government actions that delay or complicate the process of building a
more robust network for our consumers are particularly unhelpful."
Powell said the FCC also would work to ensure that American Indian
tribes are consulted when towers are proposed for sites that might
have historic, cultural, or religious significance.
There are more than 100,000 communications towers in the United
States, including antennas for cell phone signals and television and
radio broadcasts, according to the FCC. The vast majority of those
towers are taller than 200 feet and have lights to prevent aircraft
collisions.
Several environmental groups are suing the FCC over communications
towers near the Gulf of Mexico, where many birds stop during spring
and fall migrations. The groups want the FCC to review the danger to
birds before towers go up and keep birds away from existing towers
with devices like noisemaking machines.
Al Manville, a biologist with Fish and Wildlife, said the FCC effort
is a good start and that "we need to look at the bigger picture: the
effects of towers on things like wetlands and fisheries and birds."
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DEP ORDERS AIR TESTS FOR TWO BUILDINGS
Date: 030505
From: http://www.app.com/
Associated Press, 5/05/03
Edison - The state Department of Environmental Protection has
recommended air tests for at least two office buildings in Raritan
Center, including one that houses a day-care center.
Testing should be considered for buildings occupied by Worldpac Corp.
and Celsis Laboratory Group, DEP case manager Patricia Conti told The
Star-Ledger of Newark. The DEP said the recommendation does not
necessarily mean the buildings have air-quality problems.
The rear wing of the Celsis building is shared by Peppermint Tree
Child Care, the Home News Tribune newspaper and several engineering
firms.
The buildings along Fieldcrest Avenue are just east of a monitoring
well on the old Raritan Arsenal property, which is undergoing a long-
term cleanup by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
The well has consistently shown the highest readings for volatile
organic compounds, which are known or suspected carcinogens. They can
linger in groundwater for years, but they quickly evaporate into air.
Conti also has recommended air testing near the well, along with more
and longer monitoring of some parts of the 3,600-acre Raritan Arsenal
property.
* * *
(c) Copyright 2003 The Associated Press Copyright
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SPRAWL LINKED TO INCREASE IN AMERICAN GIRTHS
Date: 030505
From: http://www.nj.com/news/ledger/
HEALTH OFFICIALS, URBAN PLANNERS SAY BUILDING PATTERNS
LEAD TO LESS EXERCISE
By Steve Chambers, Star-Ledger Staff, May 05, 2003
For decades, sprawl has been condemned for taxing the environment,
blighting the American landscape and destroying community. Now, an
unlikely alliance of urban planners and public health officials are
blaming it for making America fat.
The argument that development patterns are causing Americans to
exercise less - contributing to an epidemic of obesity, diabetes and
other disorders - has been termed pseudo-science by some, common sense
by others.
Regardless of who is right, there is no denying the theory is hot.
Two leading health journals will publish special issues on the topic
in coming months, at least two books backed by large-scale supportive
studies will hit store shelves by fall and foundations are spending
tens of millions of dollars to provide corroborating evidence.
Leading proponents, such as Richard Jackson of the federal Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention, and Reid Ewing, a nationally known
sprawl researcher at Rutgers University, are much in demand.
"It's gone from being goofy to common sense in three years," Jackson,
a pediatrician who got his introduction to urban living growing up in
and around Newark, said last month in Denver after a speech to the
American Planning Association.
Conceding his early papers on the subject amounted to essay writing
backed by little hard science, Jackson said a bit of overreaching was
justified given the frightening public health consequences. Between
1976 and 1999, for example, the percentage of American adults who were
overweight or obese jumped from 47 percent to 61 percent. For children
and adolescents, it almost doubled.
Ewing, who is poised to release a nationwide study that provides more
support for the link between sprawl and health, agreed advocates of
better planning are running ahead of scientists. But, he said, he
expects science to catch up over the next decade, as more
comprehensive studies are completed.
"There are a lot of reasons we may want to build in a more compact
way, from saving infrastructure dollars to increasing the quality of
life," he said. "This becomes another reason. The fact that some
groups are a little ahead of the science might not be such a bad
thing."
With anti-sprawl groups using early studies to lobby lawmakers and
bureaucrats, who often hold the purse strings, some critics are
fuming.
"A lot of people choose the suburbs because they like that lifestyle
better," said Joel Schwartz, a senior fellow at the Reason Public
Policy Institute in Los Angeles. "It certainly isn't killing them."
Citing a 2000 study that showed city residents have greater mortality
risks and were less inclined to exercise, Schwartz predicted that
public health officials leading the charge could wind up looking
foolish.
"I think some of the fattest people in America live in housing
projects in the urban core without cars," said a disgusted Ron Utt of
the Heritage Foundation.
Researchers are quick to concede that sprawl is not the only factor
in rising obesity rates, noting that everything from TV remotes to
diet are contributing factors. But they insist that new studies are
producing intriguing findings about town design.
Research shows that city and suburban residents of the same income
and educational background are equally likely to be "recreational"
exercisers - a catch-all category ranging from gym rats to after-
dinner walkers. But those living in dense development are less likely
to be obese, according to early studies.
Proponents of the theory believe that is because ever- sprawling
developments have become so isolated from stores, jobs and mass
transit that Americans have engineered activity out of their lives.
In one small study, San Diego researchers testing their subjects with
heart monitors found residents in "walkable" neighborhoods got twice
as much exercise and were much less likely to be obese than those
living in sprawling subdivisions.
A study of 8,000 Atlanta residents found obesity in white men
"significantly declines as density increases."
Lawrence Frank, an urban planner at Georgia Tech University and one
of the pioneers of the theory, said he began that study in the mid-
1990s after moving to Atlanta from Seattle. Frank had studied the
effect of Seattle's pedestrian friendly design on physical activity,
and he was struck by how much time his fellow Atlantans spent in their
cars.
"When exercise is built into your regular, daily routine, you don't
think about it," said Frank, co-author of the upcoming book, "Health
and Community Design," which will be published by Island Press this
summer. "That is when you really start getting the regular dose you
need."
A more comprehensive study based on nationwide polling by the CDC of
more than 200,000 Americans, analyzed by Ewing and colleagues, also
seemed to support the notion that the "built environment" was a factor
in obesity. That study is being reviewed by the American Journal of
Health Promotion, and is expected to be one of the first peer-
reviewed scientific studies published.
The study used a complex sprawl index - which includes residential
density, strength of downtown centers and the mix of homes, jobs and
services - but also took into account age, eating habits and other
factors that might explain weight.
Clayton Traylor, a senior vice president for the National Association
of Home Builders, said he is troubled by the tenor of the debate,
noting that his industry has long included walking paths and
basketball courts in its developments.
He said anti-sprawl advocates might better spend their time lobbying
public officials to approve the dense, walkable communities they often
reject.
"If we are headed to the point where walking becomes compulsory, then
you have to create communities where it's possible for people to walk
to meet their daily needs," he said.
Many anti-sprawl advocates do seem overjoyed to have the powerful
public health lobby leaning in their direction. They point to
successes that community had against the multibillion-dollar tobacco
industry, ushering in changes that made smokers pariahs.
"It's exciting to think that the people who have had so much success
attacking tobacco are willing to tackle Americans' love affair with
their automobiles," said Ellen Vanderslice, president of the Portland
pedestrian advocacy group America Walks.
But Katherine Kraft, a senior program officer for the Princeton-based
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, which will spend more than $25 million
in the next five years in support of such studies, said the movement
is focused less on social engineering and more on promoting choice.
"Surveys show that people do want to live in walkable places and get
out of their cars," she said. "And they need to know that the choices
they make when it comes to housing have real health impacts."
She said the studies may become powerful fodder for changing public
attitudes.
"I think this issue is gaining steam, and it's truly a breakthrough
for us," agreed Don Chen, executive director of Smart Growth America.
"Health issues resonate with Americans and American voters,
particularly issues affecting children's health."
* * *
Steve Chambers covers land-use issues. He may be reached at
scha...@starledger.com or (973) 392-1674.
Copyright 2003 The Star-Ledger.
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MCGREEVEY OKS ETHANOL PLANT PLAN
Date: 030503
From: http://www.nj.com/news/bridgeton/
By Terrence Dopp, Staff Writer, Bridgeton News, May 03, 2003
Trenton - Gov. James E. McGreevey has signed a bill approving an
ethanol plant slated for the site of a former chemical plant in
Gloucester County, bringing the $60 million project one step closer to
reality.
It would be the first facility of its kind in the Northeast.
Proponents contend the plant, which would produce 400 million gallons
annually of the corn-based gasoline additive designed to reduce
harmful fuel emissions, would ramp up corn production in New Jersey
and send prices soaring by up to 30-cents-per-bushel. Its benefits are
expected to go as far as Pennsylvania and Delaware.
Garden State Ethanol LLC would build and operate the site.
McGreevey's signature late Thursday to little fanfare approves
efforts to attain the former industrial site scheduled to house the
facility.
In South Jersey, it is expected to mean a $110 million economic boost
along the price raising in Pennsylvania.
Under the scheme advanced by plant boosters the embattled Delaware
River and Bay Authority, rocked last year by a sex and corruption
scandal, will pay for the former Huntsman chemical site in West
Deptford without any money coming from New Jersey's general fund.
The DRBA's leadership has not approved the purchase.
"Getting a site secured is really a big first step,' said Ed Stahl,
project coordinator for Garden State Ethanol. "But once that occurs
we'll certainly start feeling the benefits of this project."
Calls to the Delaware headquarters of the DRBA went unanswered
Friday.
"This is great news," said Sen. Stephen Sweeney, who sponsored the
effort. "For the farming community. For a lot of industries down here
it's great."
Lawmakers in rural areas applauded McGreevey's decision.
Sweeney and other backers have said the facility would dovetail with
farm land preservation efforts by making agriculture a viable industry
in New Jersey.
Ethanol, essentially distilled alcohol, is blended with the gasoline
to reduce pollution from automobiles. Supporters contend an extensive
market for the product will grow as currently used counterpart MBTE is
phased out for health reasons. According to Garden state estimates,
the plant would use up to 15 million of corn each year, with
approximately 10 million now grown on 90,000 acres in New Jersey.
"This is the best tool for farmland preservation," said Assemblyman
John Burzichelli, D-Paulsboro, who sponsored the bill in the
Assembly."I believe in (the initiative) and think it's the right
thing."
Assemblymen Robert Smith, D-Washington Township, and Douglas Fisher,
D-Bridgeton, also sponsored the Assembly measure.
However, not all have offered their unconditional endorsement of the
project. Groups such as the Sierra Club of New Jersey have said the
process of producing ethanol consumes more water and energy than it
produces and threatens to set up a welfare-like system of farm
subsidies.
* * *
Copyright 2003 Bridgeton News.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
OLD, FORGOTTEN DUMPS WAITING TO BE FOUND
Date: 030505
From: http://www.pressofatlanticcity.com/news/cape/
By Trudi Gilfillian, Staff Writer, (609) 463-6716
Press of Atlantic City, May 5, 2003
West Wildwood - Mixed in with the old bottles, shoes and tires was a
newspaper dated Jan. 9, 1967. The day's top stories included a report
titled "Reds Attack Airfield in 3-Hour Battle" about the ongoing
Vietnam War.
The find was not the result of some archaeological dig or trip to an
interactive museum. Instead, the decades-old newspaper was found
recently, half buried behind a cluster of well-kept homes at the end
of West Glenwood Avenue.
It was unearthed when a local construction company dug up the area to
install new sewer and water lines for two new bayfront homes at the
very end of the street.
"This used to be like a golf course. Everybody took care of it," said
Francis Dougherty, a resident here since 1994. Dougherty and several
of his neighbors strolled along the land behind their homes pointing
out the broken glass and discarded building materials.
"This is what they left us with," he said.
Joe Perillo, also of West Glenwood Avenue, has spent much of the past
few months calling and writing state and local officials trying to get
the space behind their homes restored.
"It's like they put it in a blender and turned it all up," he said.
The excavators brought in to help install the new water and sewer
lines did more than dig up the formerly grass-covered paper street and
borough right-of-way known as North Drive. They turned up a landfill
that many here did not know about and others had long forgotten.
At a borough meeting, those who could remember said the dump, on the
south side of the old railroad tracks, closed around 1974.
It might never been mentioned again had North Drive remained
untouched.
Now, neighbors say they are worried about their health and that of
their children and grandchildren who once played in the grass that
covered the dump. They wonder want can be done to restore the land.
Jeff Tittel, director of the New Jersey chapter of the Sierra Club,
said they are not alone. As new development grows across the state,
more of these forgotten dumps are likely to appear.
"There are literally thousands of these small dumps. In the old days,
in towns or hamlets where there was no trash pickup, people started
local dumps. Back then, people used to throw trash in the wetlands
before we realized their importance," Tittel said.
According to the state Department of Environmental Protection, 400
landfills have been registered with the state since 1970 and another
200 are known or suspected - reported or found due to construction
activity - but are unregistered.
Spokeswoman Amy Cradic said the department is notified periodically
about old landfills during the course of a development and reviews
each case to allow projects to move ahead.
The construction of new residential and commercial properties on
closed landfills has been common practice for years and has become
routine as the nation's most densely populated state runs out of
space.
The problem, Tittel said, is what was dumped.
"Most of this stuff degrades after years, but the later these dumps
were open, the more hazardous they become," Tittel said, explaining
that newer dumps come with a bevy of household chemicals.
Health problems, sinking foundations and an increase in methane gas
all are problems associated with the former dumps, he said: "Years
later, they become these little landmines."
In West Wildwood, Perillo and other residents have contacted state,
county and local officials looking for a solution.
Crews from Beaver Contracting of Rio Grande recently began dumping
piles of topsoil to cover the dump site. Owner Bob MacCready said the
area would be reseeded and made to look as it did before his company
was hired.
He recalled coming across a similar small dumping ground about 15
years ago while working on a project in North Wildwood.
"I had no idea it was there and I find it hard to believe the borough
didn't know about it," MacCready said of the West Wildwood dump. His
crews discovered the piles of trash after digging about two feet down,
he said.
Commissioner Herbert Frederick said the borough was doing what it
could to rectify the situation, but the commissioners were hearing
about it after the fact.
Meanwhile, neighbors in this tiny island community review pictures of
what used to be.
Neighbor Anthony Sheeran smiled as he talked about the rabbits,
turtles and birds that frequent the land adjacent to the bay.
"We've been taking care of this for years and we will for years to
come," he said.
* * *
To email Trudi Gilfillian at The Press: TGilf...@pressofac.com
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
ONE MAN'S TRASH IS ANOTHER'S RECYCLABLE
Date: 030505
From: http://www.app.com/
MONDAY MORNING COMMENTARY
By Don Bennett, Ocean County Observer, 5/05/03
From heat comes light, if the heat gets hot enough.
The political heat got hot enough to produce light in Ocean County in
1989.
We've been warmed and illuminated by the results ever since.
In case you forgot, Ocean County's freeholders were sailing along
with plans for a state-mandated garbage burner west of Waretown.
The Legislature passed a law giving counties the power to order
garbage generated within their boundaries to these so-called waste-to-
energy plants.
It was the second attempt to get an incinerator burning trash in the
county. The Dover Sewerage Authority proposed one earlier to burn
garbage and generate steam for customers in the town's industrial
park. Among the largest anticipated customer was Ciba-Geigy. There was
so much political heat around that plan that it melted down.
Unwilling to heed that lesson, the freeholders tried to ignore the
mounting tide of opposition to the incinerator plan - or most of them
did.
Critics pointed to air-fouling smoke and toxic ash from the plant.
They stoked the fire of public opinion with enough fuel to make the
burn vs. anti-burn friction the hottest political item of the time.
Freeholder John C. Bartlett Jr. fractured the united stand for the
trash burner. His pal James J. Mancini was close behind.
That left Joseph H. Vicari, H. George Buckwald, and Damian Murray as
the staunch advocates of the trash burner.
Voters got so unhappy they threw Buckwald and Murray out of office,
reducing the pro-burner forces to one. Vicari's support evaporated
shortly after the votes were counted and Paul Brush and Mark Troncone
were seated as freeholders.
As it turns out, the voters were smarter than the freeholders and the
Legislature. The state Supreme Court would later rule that the law
giving counties the authority to control the destination of garbage
was unconstitutional.
Counties with unpopular incinerators suddenly were without fuel for
them. Huge bonded debt fell on the taxpayers for repayment. But not in
Ocean County.
No burner, what to do with the county's trash?
The Ocean County Landfill in Manchester Township could only hold so
much of it, so the county put a heavy emphasis on recycling.
Bartlett pulled out the scorecard this week.
He reported 800,000 tons of things we used to bury in dumps were
recycled for reuse in the county between 1988 and 2002.
In addition to the plastics, paper, aluminum, tin and metal that was
not landfilled, $50 million in cash also was not buried in Manchester.
That is how much it would have cost to bury the recycled materials in
the dump.
Today about half of what used to be put into one of a dozen or more
dumps around the county is recycled.
The county built what Bartlett calls an "international model" of a
recycling processing plant at its Lakewood recycling center, where
recaptured junk is converted into things that can be sold.
There is a second, smaller recycling center in Manahawkin.
When all the costs are paid, the recycling operation cleared $8.5
million. Half that money went back to the communities where the
bottles, cans, papers and cardboard were put out by owners of homes
and businesses for reuse.
Since 1989 the county has collected household poisons so they can be
properly disposed of, instead of posing a future threat to the
county's groundwater. That net has landed 10.3 million pounds of
poisons and gotten rid of them at a cost of $5 million.
Paint, 2.2 million pounds of it, also has been kept out of the waste
stream. Two years ago a scrap tire drive financed with state funds
rounded up 155,000 of the potential breeding places for mosquitoes,
including those that carry the West Nile virus.
Mountains of leaves and grass clippings are turned into compost that
is used by gardeners and landscapers to supplement the soil. Tons of
wood chips from limbs and trees mulch gardens and planting beds. The
compost and the chips are free to anyone who wants to go and get them.
Everything that is recycled extends the life of the dump in
Manchester, which is a far cry from the way it started as a hole in
the ground during the Joseph S. Portash administration in that fair
city.
Liners now protect the groundwater and exceptional steps are being
taken to lessen the impact of a business that buries what we discard.
Most of the old municipal landfills have turned out to be trouble
because the poisons buried there seeped into the groundwater or
evolved into methane that has to be vented, burned or converted to
energy.
The most notorious of the public dumps was the one in Legler that
fouled homeowners' wells with toxic chemicals and resulted in some
groundbreaking legal precedents and a $13 million judgment for the
homeowners.
The most obvious remaining wart from those "bury it and be done with
it" days is the private Southern Ocean Landfill, near where the
garbage incinerator was planned, west of Waretown.
But there is a happy ending in sight there.
A private contractor is capping the old, lined part of the dump.
That's where the county had to rush in to keep the leachate from
overflowing into the Pinelands because the owner lacked the funds to
pay to have the stuff removed and treated by the Ocean County
Utilities Authority.
The bigger, unlined part of the dump will be capped because Sen.
Leonard T. Connors, R-9th, worked with county officials to get $15
million in state funds to seal off that treasure trove of trash from
the poison-spreading effects of the elements.
Life has changed since the "Ban Bucky's Burner" banner was aloft
during the battle over the incinerator.
Bottles, cans and plastics are put in one bucket. Newspapers are tied
and put in another pile. The garbage goes into a third container.
"Recycling is a life skill. It's part of what we do," observed
Freeholder James F. Lacey.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
UPCOMING PEQ ENERGY SAVINGS WORKSHOP - MAY 19
Date: 5 May 2003
From: "Nathalie Shapiro" {shap...@ecoisp.com}
Hello Friends,
I wanted to let you know about an exciting FREE community workshop
that PEQ is conducting. The Workshop title is "Protecting our Planet,
and Your Pockets". The event will educate individuals about their
energy use, where energy comes from, how to read their bills, and how
to save energy and money through low/no cost actions. Of course saving
energy also helps to decrease greenhouse gas emissions associated with
the production of electricity, and this point will be emphasized as
well. Again, the event is free and open to the public, and
refreshments will be provided along with a free compact fluorescent
light bulb for the first 50 participants (to guarantee energy savings
in the home!)
We'd appreciate it if you can let your networks know about the event.
Please feel free to email me back if you have any questions,
Text from the bulletin is pasted below, and the bulletin insert is
also attached.
Best,
Nathalie
- - -
PARTNERS FOR ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY AND THE
HOBOKEN CLERGY COUNCIL PRESENT
A FREE AND OPEN COMMUNITY WORKSHOP
PROTECTING OUR PLANET...AND YOUR POCKETS
DEVISING AN ENERGY SAVINGS PLAN THAT WORKS FOR YOU
When: Monday, May 19th, 7:00-9:30 pm
Where: Our Lady of Grace Roman Catholic Church of Hoboken
Evening Program will include:
A keynote address by the Rev. Fletcher Harper, of PEQ, entitled:
"The Spirituality and Ethics of Energy"
A Presentation entitled:
"WHAT'S A KILOWATT HOUR? WHAT'S A THERM?"
Understanding what your energy bills really mean and how they impact
the Environment
And a practical workshop entitled:
MAKING CON$ERVATION A WIN-WIN PROPOSITION
5 Easy Steps to Create a Plan for Saving Energy and Dollars
Workshop Participants should bring the following items:
One electricity bill from your House of Worship or your home,
One heating bill from your House of Worship or home.
Refreshments and light fare will be provided. Free Compact Fluorescent
Light Bulb for first 50 participants!
To reserve your spot call
Partners for Environmental Quality at (609) 394-1090
* * *
Nathalie Shapiro
Director of Programs,
Partners for Environmental Quality
204 West State Street
Trenton, NJ 08608
Phone: 609-394-1090
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
MORRIS COUNTY'S GREEN TABLE - MAY 20
Date: 030505
From: 973-326-7622
You're Invited
Tuesday, May 20, 2003 - 8:00 to 9:30 am
Haggerty Education Center, The Frelinghuysen Arboretum
53 East Hanover Avenue, Morris Township
PROTECTING YOUR INVESTMENT IN OPEN SPACE
- Morris County Board of Chosen Freeholders
Jack Schrier, Deputy Freeholder Director
Welcome and Introductions
- NJ Department of Environmental Protection
Update on the NJ DEP's Blueprint for Intelligent Growth
The "BIG Map"
- Morris County Park Commission & Morris Land Conservancy
Stewardship Activities and Practices
Rob Jennings, MCPC, Educational Coordinator
Mary Beth Cooney, MLC, Stewardship Director
- Morris County Open Space & Farmland Preservation Trust Fund
Walter P. Krich, Jr., Director, MC Planning & Development
This forum will discuss land management practices and stewardship
activities to protect open space and parkland in Morris County.
Green Table Steering Committee: Morris County Park Commission; Morris
Land Conservancy; Morris Trails Conservancy; Morris County Department
of Planning and Development; New Jersey Conservation Foundation;
Achenbach and Associates LLC; Whippany River Watershed Action
Committee; Chatham Township; Preserve Our Wetlands Water Woods,
Passaic River Coalition
RSVP: Morris County Park Commission 973-326-7622
Continental breakfast will be served at 7:45 a.m.
* * *
Morris County Green Table
POB 1295
Morristown NJ 07962-1295
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
CAMPAIGN FOR THE WATERFRONT - MAY 20
Date: 5 May 2003
From: "Carter Craft" {car...@waterwire.net}
Hi,
Just two years ago we enlisted your support in our "Waterfront 21C"
Campaign, which did a tremendous job at both demonstrating the need as
well as the potential on our waterfront. New York City, for instance,
created a special City Council Committee to focus on the waterfront,
and numerous other officials have created special Waterfront Task
Forces to help address these complex social, ecological and
jurisdictional issues.
Thanks to the efforts of so many (like you!) the waterfront and
waterways are percolating up into the public consciousness. We've got
a lot to be proud of - but we've still got a long ways to go if we are
to bring better waterfronts to EVERY community. There are more
elections this year and it's important for us all to keep advocating.
Today's candidate may be tomorrow's public official!
Now I'm writing to enlist your support again, with this short appeal
to remind you to PLEASE COME to our 1st-ever MWA Fundraiser on
Tuesday, May 20, 2003.
This festive cocktail party (read: relatively cheap ticket:) will be
held from 6:30-8:30pm at the new Chelsea Art Museum, located on West
22nd Street and the West Side Highway in Manhattan. If you want more
details please feel free click to
http://www.waterwire.net/News/fullstory.cfm?ContID=1316 where you can
see who we are Celebrating, and link to our secure server to buy
tickets on line. If you have specific requests or other ideas related
to the (rapidly approaching) event please feel free to email
sam...@waterwire.net
Without you our efforts would not be nearly so effective. MANY
thanks, in advance, for your support and participation!
Celebrate 5 Years of MWA!
Tuesday, May 20, 2003
Chelsea Art Museum, NYC
http://www.waterwire.net/News/fullstory.cfm?ContID=1316
* * *
Metropolitan Waterfront Alliance
457 Madison Avenue
New York NY 10022
Tel: 800-364-9943
Fax: 888-486-9688
Email in...@waterwire.net
Web: http://www.waterwire.net/
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
RARITAN BASIN LEADERSHIP WORKSHOP - MAY 21
Date: 5 May 2003
From: Sally Kean {sk...@raritanbasin.org}
You are invited to the
RARITAN BASIN LEADERSHIP WORKSHOP
TURNING THE PLAN INTO PROJECTS - BE PART OF THE BEGINNING!
21 May 2003, 4:30 to 7:00 PM
Ramada Inn
Weston Canal Road, Exit 12, Route 287
South Bound Brook/Franklin Township
AGENDA:
Welcome:
Mr. Nicholas Polanin, Chair, Raritan Basin Council
"Successes and Challenges of Watershed Coalitions:
the Anacostia Watershed Restoration Committee"
Mr. Ted Graham, Director - Water Resources Program, Metro Washington
Council of Governments
Concurrent Workshops: Partnerships for Implementing the Raritan Plan
* Acting to Restore and Preserve Our Streams & Riparian Areas
* Acting to Manage & Maintain Water Supply & Ground Water Recharge
* Acting to Address Challenges in Surface Water & Stormwater
Management
Light refreshments will be served.
WHO IS INVITED?
Leaders and decision-makers from:
* Municipal, county and state government
* Academia
* Business and industry
* Agriculture
* Non-governmental environmental, planning and public interest
organizations
WHY SHOULD YOU ATTEND?
The Raritan Basin Watershed Management Plan was formally released to
the public on 26 March 2003. This workshop will kick-off the Raritan
Plan's implementation and mark the formal beginning of the Raritan
Basin Watershed Alliance. Join us to be part of a new era for the
Raritan Basin - improving our water resources and quality of life! Get
more information on the Raritan Plan at http://www.raritanbasin.org.
Space is limited!
RSVP by May 16 to Sally Kean, sk...@raritanbasin.org
sk...@raritanbasin.org, 732-356-9344 x23
- - -
RARITAN BASIN WATERSHED MANAGEMENT PLAN
Summary
The Raritan Basin Watershed Management Plan (Raritan Plan) was
developed by stakeholder participants from the Raritan River Basin,
including the North & South Branch Raritan Watershed Management Area
(WMA 8), the Lower Raritan WMA (WMA 9) and the Millstone River WMA
(WMA 10). The New Jersey Water Supply Authority provided staff and
project management services to the stakeholders under a Memorandum of
Agreement with the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection,
with funding provided by both State agencies. This agreement was
developed in response to requests by region stakeholders for
Department assistance in protecting water resources of the Raritan
River Basin. Hundreds of stakeholder participants from a very wide
variety of governmental and non-governmental interests played a major
role in developing the Raritan Plan. The Plan received an award from
the New Jersey Planning Officials in May 2003.
The plan includes the following major components:
- Vision Statement and rationale
- Goals that drive the Raritan Plan to address the vision statement
and the issues identified through the characterization and
assessment process
- Measurable objectives that will lead to achievement of the goals
- Implementation Strategies that will achieve the objectives. Each
includes a detailed action plan with responsible parties, funding
needs and a schedule for implementation.
The following list briefly summarizes the major changes planned for
the Raritan River Basin:
- Protection and preservation of lands that play a critical role in
the protection of Raritan Basin water resources, including
headwaters streams.
- Maintenance and restoration of ground water recharge to ensure
sufficient supplies for dry weather stream flow and public use, and
to minimize stormwater runoff.
- Improved control of stormwater through watershed-based management
plans, improved site design techniques and attention to stormwater
impacts on stream stability and flooding.
- Management of water supply resources on a subwatershed, watershed
and regional basis so that sustainable levels of resources use are
not exceeded, ensuring adequate water for both human and ecosystem
uses.
- Restoration of streams and riparian areas that have been physically
damaged by harmful land uses and stormwater management practices,
and protection of high-quality streams and riparian areas.
Restoration and protection of ground and surface waters that are
currently or prospectively impaired by excessive pollutant loads,
through a combination of regulatory and non-regulatory programs
affecting both point and nonpoint sources of pollutants.
VISION STATEMENT
The Raritan Plan envisions a Raritan River Basin in which the
following occurs as quickly as possible but no later than within a
generation:
- Overcoming the Past: The impacts of existing and former land and
water uses and pollutant discharges are remedied so that water
quality, water supplies, flood plains, aquatic habitats and,
indeed, the total capacity of Raritan River Basin as a water
resource are restored to health.
- Managing the Future: Future land uses, pollutant discharges and
water uses are carefully managed and remain within the long-term
sustainable resource levels. Land uses and people are not placed at
risk from flooding and other natural disasters. Land preservation
efforts protect the vital water resources of the Raritan River
Basin.
- Taking Responsibility: All individuals living and working in the
Raritan River Basin understand and take responsibility for the
impacts of their actions on the Raritan River Basin, and for being
part of the solution.
- Maintaining Vigilance: Decision makers in the public, private and
non-profit sectors learn from the past, anticipate the future,
understand the dynamics of our complex region, and act in concert
to protect the vital natural resources of the Raritan River Basin.
CHARACTERIZATION AND ASSESSMENT OF KEY ISSUES
The Raritan Basin Watershed Management Project produced seven
technical reports and two background reports, written to characterize
and assess the condition of the Raritan River Basin. The
characterization and assessment reports are a collection of findings
about the Basin and a foundation for the development of the watershed
management plan. A complete summary of the characterization and
assessment reports is found in "Portrait of a Watershed: the Raritan
River Basin." Full details are provided in the seven technical reports
and two background reports at
http://www.raritanbasin.org/technical_reports.htm.
Six major issues (along with many other lower priority issues) were
identified through the characterization and assessment process.
- Surface Water Pollution - The Raritan Basin has surface water
pollution problems, especially high levels of phosphorus and fecal
coliform bacteria. Nonpoint sources are the sole cause in
approximately one-third of the Basin, and are joined by point
sources in the remaining watersheds. Management measures can be
initiated now based on the characterization and assessment results
and local knowledge.
- Loss of Riparian Areas - Riparian areas historically covered
roughly one third of the Raritan Basin, and nearly one third of
riparian areas have been lost as of 1995. Losses within specific
subwatersheds range to more than 80 percent. While most riparian
losses were initially to agriculture, most recent losses are to
development.
- Biological Impairment of Streams - Based on NJDEP's basin-wide
work, the number of severely and moderately impaired streams
increased from 1993 to 1998, though some streams improved.
- Loss of Ground Water Recharge - The Raritan Project assessed ground
water recharge rates in 1986 and 1995. The assessment results were
startling - one of the biggest surprises in the project. Two
subwatersheds showed estimated losses of over 20 percent in just 10
years, and many others showed losses between 15 and 20 percent.
These losses can harm stream flows and aquifer stability.
- Water Supply Limitations - The NJ Water Supply Authority has a safe
yield of 225 million gallons per day using surface water supplies.
Ground water supplies are spread out, hard to measure and extremely
variable from area to area. Perhaps 85 to 135 million gallons per
day are available. Population density increases in rural and
suburban areas are a water supply concern, as these areas are
usually dependant on ground water.
- Stormwater Impacts - Most of the urban land that we will have in
2010 already exists. Some historic urban areas have essentially no
stormwater controls. Since the 1970's stormwater controls have
gradually improved to control stormwater quality and discharge
rates from new development sites. However, retrofit of older
systems rarely occurs and even well built systems are typically not
maintained properly. Finally, we rarely manage stormwater on a
watershed basis. Unfortunately, uncoordinated site-specific
controls don't provide sufficient environmental protection in most
cases. One of the major impacts of urbanization on streams is
disrupted stream hydrology.
IMPLEMENTING THE RARITAN BASIN WATERSHED MANAGEMENT PLAN
Raritan stakeholder participants envision that most plan
implementation will occur through existing organizations and new
partnerships. Successful Raritan Plan implementation will require
coordinated effort. Therefore, the Raritan stakeholders propose that a
coordinating body should be established - the Raritan Basin Watershed
Alliance, which would perform the following functions, with the caveat
that the Basin-wide structure should not duplicate or preempt the work
or capabilities of others, nor disrupt funding for them:
1. Keep the Raritan Plan current and continually improving - track
progress, update, adapt, ensure that the strategies are
scientifically defensible, and react to new circumstances, policy
changes and environmental conditions
2. Create public and official support for Plan implementation
3. Create coalitions/partnerships for Plan implementation and assist
with acquisition of financial and other resources where requested
4. Encourage and support implementation efforts and assist with
project planning
5. Maintain and enhance technical knowledge and capabilities of the
Basin and ensure dissemination to those who need it
6. Do the above with the minimum resources necessary
IMPLEMENTATION CHALLENGES
There are many organizations, agencies, governments and private
institutions capable of implementing aspects of the Raritan Plan.
However, no entities, individually or in combination, can successfully
implement the entire Plan at their current level of staffing, capital
funding and, in some cases, statutory authority. NJDEP regulatory
mandates can achieve a great deal, but cannot possibly achieve all,
especially with regard to land acquisition, existing land uses and
stream impairment. The capital costs are high for land acquisition,
stormwater system retrofits, increased water protection measures in
new development and redevelopment, etc. Organizational costs (both
public and non-governmental) will also be high. It would not be
unreasonable to estimate total costs over two to three decades in the
hundreds of millions of dollars.
Resources are currently available to cover some of these costs (e.g.
land acquisition, developer compliance with permits, utility costs),
but certainly not all. The largest unmet costs of the Raritan Plan
will involve improved management of existing land uses. Funding will
be needed to improve agricultural management practices, management of
urban and suburban land uses (e.g., lawns and streets), retrofit of
stormwater systems, ground water recharge restoration, monitoring and
assessment, public education, etc. In addition, there are costs
involved in improving land use planning and development controls that
cannot be charged to developers; municipalities, counties and other
watershed partners will need to raise resources - either internally or
externally - to cover these necessary costs.
* * *
NJ Water Supply Authority
PO Box 287
South Bound Brook, NJ 08880
Tel: 732-356-9344
Fax: 732-356-9461
Email: sk...@raritanbasin.org
Web: http://www.raritanbasin.org
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
FOUR WATER RESOURCE MANAGEMENT SEMINARS - PA - JUN 11, 12
Date: 5 May 2003
From: "Dee Harrison" {dhar...@rdinc.net}
LOW-IMPACT DEVELOPMENT AND STORMWATER MANAGEMENT SEMINARS
All day technical 8 a.m.-5 p.m., evening less technical 7-9 p.m.
Date: June 11, 2003
Where: Lake Wallenpaupack Learning Center, Hawley, PA
Presented by: The Lake Wallenpaupack Watershed Management District and
FX Browne, Inc.
Description: This seminar is designed for natural resources
professionals involved in the management of water resources including
planners, engineers, scientists, and watershed managers from local,
state, and federal resource management agencies, local planning
commissions, environmental consulting firms, universities, non-profit
organizations, and private companies. The evening seminar is less
technical and is designed for municipal officials, private citizens
and members of watershed groups.
For detailed information and to register, please visit
http://www.lwwmd.org or http://www.fxbrowne.com. Questions? Please
contact Dee Harrison 215-428-9655.
The other seminar being offered is:
AQUATIC ECOSYSTEM AND STREAM RESTORATION SEMINARS
All day technical 8 a.m. - 5 p.m., evening less technical 7-9 p.m.
Date: June 12, 2003
Where: Lake Wallenpaupack Learning Center, Hawley, PA
Presented by: The Lake Wallenpaupack Watershed Management District and
FX Browne, Inc.
Description: This seminar will give engineers and scientists the
technical knowledge needed to begin designing streams and lake and
riparian restoration projects. Experienced restoration practitioners
will take participants through the entire restoration process, from
assessing the restoration site, to designing restoration treatmnets,
permitting, construction, and post-construction monitoring. The
evening seminar is less technical and is designed for municipal
officials, private citizens and members of watershed groups.
For detailed information and to register, please visit
http://www.lwwmd.org or http://www.fxbrowne.com. Questions? Please
contact Dee Harrison 215-428-9655.
Sincerely,
Dee Harrison
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