Primer on Water Quality and Pollution
in the Rahway River Watershed:
Status, Sources, Causes, Effects and Solutions
Dr. Kirk Barrett, PE, Director
Passaic River Institute
Montclair State University, Montclair, NJ
www.primsu.org
pri@montclair.edu
973-655-7117
With data provided by NJDEP
Bureau of Water Monitoring and Standards and
Bureau of Geographic Information Systems
What is a Watershed?
A small building where water is stored?
Watershed: area of land whose water flows
to a certain lake or river.
Synonyms: Basin, drainage area,
catchment, river valley
0
Miles
3
1.5
ST
BR
AN
CH
/
Rahway River
Watershed
83 sq miles; 53,00 acres
6
WEST BRANCH
EA
215 sq km; 21,504 hectares.
78
RO
OK
BE
H
MA
NB
§
¨¦
I ZA
EL
NO
A
EG
Newark
TH
RIV
ER
£
¤
RS
R
MO
MO
22
SE
ES
£
¤
K
K
EE
SC
CR
1
IN S
MA
TEM
ROBINSONS BRANCH
§
¨¦
SO
UT
H
BR
AN
CH
GSP
§
¨¦
95
River is about 23 miles long,
from its mouth at the Arthur
Kill to start of West Branch in
West Orange
25 towns,
W.Orange
~330,000
Orange
S.Orange
WEST BRANCH
EA
ST
BR
AN
CH
population
Millburn
Maplewood
Newark
Summit
§
¨¦
78
Springfield
RO
OK
Mountainside
BE
H
MA
NB
I ZA
EL
NO
A
EG
Union
TH
Kenilworth
RIV
ER
£
¤
RS
SE
ES
CR
1
K
K
EE
IN S
MA
Winfield
Fanwood
Plainfield
Scotch Plains
£
¤
SC
Cranford
Westfield
Garwood
R
MO
MO
22
TEM
Clark
Linden
ROBINSONS BRANCH
Rahway
§
¨¦
CH
GSP
AN
Carteret
BR
§
¨¦
H
95
SO
UT
S.Plainfield
Edison
Woodbridge
Metuchen
0
1.5
Miles
3
6
TOWN
Woodbridge
Edison
Westfield
W.Orange
Scotch Plains
Millburn
Springfield
Cranford
Clark
Linden
Rahway
Union
Maplewood
Mountainside
S.Orange
Carteret
Summit
Kenilworth
Orange
Garwood
Plainfield
Fanwood
Metuchen
Winfield
PERCENT
OFOF
PERCENT
WATERSHED
AREA
WATERSHED
11.8%
10.2%
8.0%
7.8%
7.8%
6.3%
6.1%
5.6%
5.3%
4.9%
4.9%
3.4%
3.4%
3.2%
3.1%
1.7%
1.6%
1.2%
1.1%
0.8%
0.7%
0.5%
0.4%
0.2%
PERCENT OF
POPULATION
12%
8%
9%
7%
5%
3%
4%
6%
4%
4%
8%
5%
5%
1%
5%
2%
1%
1%
4%
1%
1%
1%
0%
0%
How clean (or polluted) is the Rahway River?



Where?
When?
“Clean” for what purpose?
 for drinking?
 for swimming? for wading?
(“primary contact recreation”)
 for boating? (“secondary contact rec”)
 for fishing/crabbing/shellfishing?
 for consumption?
 for recreation (catch and release)?
 for fish and wildlife support?
 which fish and wildlife species?
Regulations call these “Designated Uses”
FW2-NTC1/SE2
State
Classification: mostly “FW2-NT”
(freshwater nontrout)
FW2-TM
BLOOMFIELD TWP
GLEN RIDGE BORO
BELLEVILLE TWP
FW2-TMC1
LIVINGSTON TWP
LORHAM PARK BORO
W ORANGE
NORTH ARLINGTON BORO
DESIGNATED USES
FW2-TP
ORANGE
SON BORO
1. Maintenance, migration and
FW2-TPC1
propagation of the natural and
established biota
SE1
2. Primary and secondary contact
§
¨¦
FW2-NT
recreation
3. Industrial water supply
SE2
4. Public potable water supply after
SE3
conventional treatment
5. Any other reasonable uses
Municipal boundaries
KEARNY TOWN
CH
E ORANGE
BR
AN
EAST NEWARK BORO
HARRISON TOWN
S ORANGE
ST
SUMMIT
NEWARK
EA
WEST BRANCH
CHATHAM BORO
MILLBURN
MAPLEWOOD
IRVINGTON
Newark
78
EW PROVIDENCE BORO
SPRINGFIELD
RO
HILLSIDE
UNION
OK
I ZA
EL
B
AN
BE
EG
AH
OM
NMOUNTAINSIDE
TH
RIV
EIGHTS TWP
KENILWORTH
AN
FO
ELIZABETH
ROSELLE PARK
RS
R
MO
MO
RD
K
WINFIELD
MA
IN S
CLARK
SCOTCH PLAINS
LINDEN
Major PublicSE2
Parksand SE3 (saline and estuarine)
TEM
ROBINSONS BRANCH
§
¨¦
RAHWAY
AN
CH
GSP
BR
EDISON
UT
H
95
PLAINFIELD BORO
From
NJDEP
WOODBRIDGE
METUCHEN
1. Maintenance, migration (and
Expressways
propagation for SE2) of the
§
¨¦
natural and established biota,
including diadromous fish
Watershed boundary
2. Secondary contact recreation
3. Any other reasonable uses
CARTERET
SO
LAINFIELD CITY
K
EE
FANWOOD
SC
CR
SE
ROSELLE BORO
GARWOOD
ES
WESTFIELD
ER
CR
So, is the water
“clean” enough
to achieve
these
designated
uses?
BLOOMFIELD TWP
TWP
BLOOMFIELD
GLEN RIDGE
RIDGE BORO
BORO
GLEN
!
“Support of Aquatic Life“
BELLEVILLE TWP
TWP
BELLEVILLE
NORTHARLINGTON
ARLINGTONBORO
BORO
NORTH
LIVINGSTON
LIVINGSTON TWP
TWP
M PARK
AM
PARKBORO
BORO
!!
W
W ORANGE
ORANGE
!!
!! !!
BBRR
AANN
CCHH
!
CHATHAM
CHATHAMBORO
BORO
BRANCH
WEST BRANCH
!
!!
Classification based on NJDEP
“AMNET” biological monitoring
sites, monitored once every five
years for small aquatic invertebrate
animals (insect larvae, snails, clams,
crayfish)
KEARNYTOWN
TOWN
KEARNY
E ORANGE
ORANGE
E
EAST NEWARK
NEWARK BORO
BORO
EAST
S ORANGE
EEAA
SSTT
RO
ORO
ORANGE
ORANGE
HARRISONTOWN
TOWN
HARRISON
NEWARK
MILLBURN
MILLBURN
MAPLEWOOD
IRVINGTON
!
Newark
Newark
SUMMIT
SUMMIT
§
¨¦
78
!
OVIDENCE
OVIDENCEBORO
BORO
SPRINGFIELD
SPRINGFIELD
UNION
!
!
KENILWORTH
KENILWORTH
CCR
RAA
NFF
N
OR
O
D
GARWOOD
GARWOOD
!
CLARK
CLARK
!
ROBINSONS BRANCH
BRANCH
ROBINSONS
!
¨¦
§
!
All 10 sites in watershed are
“moderately impaired”
LINDEN
LINDEN
RAHWAY
RAHWAY
SSO
OUU
TTH
HB
BRR
AAN
NCC
HH
GSP
GSP
EDISON
EDISON
K
CK
C
!
SCOTCHPLAINS
PLAINS
SCOTCH
M
TTEEM
N SS
AIIN
M
MA
WINFIELD
ESS
SE
RS
MO
ROSELLE BORO
FANWOOD
FANWOOD
ELD
CITY
LD CITY
ELIZABETH
ELIZABETH
ROSELLE PARK
K
EEK
REE
CR
C
ES
RS
MO
WESTFIELD
WESTFIELD
ER
RI V
TH
BE
I ZA
EL
TWP
TWP
HILLSIDE
!!
K
OK
OO
RO
BR
NB
AAN
G
G
HHEE
MAA
O
OM
MOUNTAINSIDE
MOUNTAINSIDE
NN
§
¨¦
95
95
CARTERET
CARTERET
!
FIELD
BORO
IELD BORO
!!
WOODBRIDGE
WOODBRIDGE
!!
METUCHEN
METUCHEN
In 2006 report, “Less than 20% of the
State’s waters attain the general aquatic
life use”
BLOOMFIELD TWP
GLEN RIDGE BORO
BELLEVILLE TWP
NORTH ARLINGTON BORO
LIVINGSTON TWP
M PARK BORO
W ORANGE
#
ORANGE
RO
Classification based on
concentration of pathogen
indicators, ie, bacteria found in
fecal matter of warm blooded
animals
KEARNY TOWN
CH
E ORANGE
BR
AN
EAST NEWARK BORO
ST
WEST BRANCH
SUMMIT
HARRISON TOWN
S ORANGE
NEWARK
EA
CHATHAM BORO
MILLBURN
MAPLEWOOD
IRVINGTON
Newark
§
¨¦
78
#
OVIDENCE BORO
SPRINGFIELD
EG
AN
B
HILLSIDE
UNION
K
#
BE
#
I ZA
EL
AH
O
RO
TH
OM
NMOUNTAINSIDE
RI V
TWP
KENILWORTH
AN
FO
ELIZABETH
ROSELLE PARK
RS
MO
MO
RD
K
WINFIELD
MA
IN S
# #
#
CLARK
#
#
ROBINSONS BRANCH
§
¨¦
RAHWAY
AN
CH
GSP
§
¨¦
BR
EDISON
UT
H
95
SO
CARTERET
#
IELD BORO
WOODBRIDGE
METUCHEN
TEM
SCOTCH PLAINS
LINDEN
CK
EE
FANWOOD
ES
CR
RS
ROSELLE BORO
GARWOOD
ES
WESTFIELD
ER
CR
LD CITY
Support of Secondary
Contact Recreation
Water quality
monitoring site
City of Rahway/United Water
Water Intake and Treatment Plant: 26,000
customers; 5.5 million gallons/day
So, is it safe to
Drink, Swim, Wade, Fish, Boat?
Drink? After treatment, Yes
Swim? No – no designated
swimming areas
Safe to eat the fish from tidal/estuarine areas?
High Risk Individuals: infants, children, pregnant
women, nursing mothers, women of childbearing age
Estimate 1 in 10,000 risk of cancer during your lifetime
from eating fish at the advisory level.
www.state.nj.us/dep/dsr/fishadvisories/
Safe to eat the fish from freshwater areas?
No specific fish consumption advisory for
any fresh waterbody in the watershed.
Safe to boat or fish? Not clear cut
Based on sampling at several points, NJDEP
declared most of the watershed as not
supporting secondary contact recreation; at
some times and at some locations, the
standard for pathogen indicators was
exceeded.
What is the risk of getting sick? Depends on
where you go, when you go, how careful you
are. Typically worse after a storm; better in
cold weather
A lot of people fish and a lot of people boat –
and they keep on doing it.
CAUSES OF POLLUTION
Quiz -- In the United States as a whole,
what is the most common cause of
pollution that impairs use of streams,
rivers and oceans?
a. Dumping of garbage directly into waters
b. Rainfall washing off pollution from
yards, streets, parking lots, and farms
c. Contaminated soil and leaking tanks at
old, this
abandoned
factories.
We call
“nonpoint
source pollution” –
d. Waste whose
from operating
pollution
source isfactories
diffuse (distributed)
e. Improperly
treated sewage
frombe traced
throughout
a watershed;
it cannot
plants and septic systems
to a treatment
single point
Typical Urban Nonpoint Pollution
about land use practices, behaviors, pavement, and automobiles
Pollutant
Sources
Effects
Sediment (Soil
particles)
Excess nutrients
(Phosphorus and
Nitrogen)
Pathogens (disease
causing bacteria,
viruses, etc.)
Salt
Hot water
Construction sites, dust fall out and
wash off; eroding stream banks
Misapplied fertilizers, fecal matter
from pets and wildlife
Turbid water, smothered habitat,
filled-in lakes
Overgrowth of aquatic plants and
algae  low dissolved oxygen and
green color in lakes
Diseases (gastrointestinal), closed
water recreation and shellfising
Pesticides
Oil
Toxic chemicals like
PCBs and benzene
Heavy metals like
mercury and lead)
Higher and more
frequent flow rates
Fecal matter from pets and wildlife
Road salting, runoff from salt piles
Runoff from hot, paved surfaces;
heating in detention ponds
Misapplication to lawn and
gardens; dumping of excess
Dumping by do-it-yourself oil
changes, leading oil from cars
Fall-out of combustion products of
gasoline and coal; erosion from
contaminated land; runoff from new
asphalt and sealants
Leaking fluids from cars; tire wear;
rusting automobiles, fall-out of
combustion products; dumping of
household hazardous waste (paint)
Runoff from impervious surfaces
(pavement and roofs)
Toxicity to biota; unfit for drinking
Stresses sensitive aquatic
animals; lowers dissolved oxygen
Toxicity to biota
Streambank and channel bottom
erosion; unstable habitats
BLOOMFIELD TWP
GLEN RIDGE BORO
BELLEVILLE TWP
NORTH ARLINGTON BORO
LIVINGSTON TWP
M PARK BORO
W ORANGE
ORANGE
RO
KEARNY TOWN
CH
E ORANGE
HARRISON TOWN
S ORANGE
ST
SUMMIT
Newark
Legend
Legend
w07lu02
w07lu02
LU02
NEWARK
EA
WEST BRANCH
CHATHAM BORO
I ZA
EL
BR
AN
EAST NEWARK BORO
MILLBURN
MAPLEWOOD
IRVINGTON
§
¨¦
78
OVIDENCE BORO
SPRINGFIELD
B
AN
RO
HILLSIDE
UNION
OK
BE
EG
AH
OM
NMOUNTAINSIDE
TH
RIV
TWP
KENILWORTH
AN
FO
ROSELLE PARK
SE
K
EK
SC
RE
FANWOOD
Commercial/Industrial
Recreational
WINFIELD
MA
IN S
CLARK
SCOTCH PLAINS
LINDEN
TEM
§
¨¦
RAHWAY
Forest
Water
AN
CH
GSP
§
¨¦
BR
EDISON
Recreational
Agricultural
Agricultural
Forest
ROBINSONS BRANCH
UT
H
95
CARTERET
SO
LD CITY
SE
GARWOOD
SC
WESTFIELD
ROSELLE BORO
LU02
Residential
Commercial/Industrial
R
MO
R
MO
RD
ELIZABETH
ER
CR
Amount of
nonpoint
pollution is
related to
Watershedof
boundary
extent
Watershed boundary
urbanization
(development)
Residential
Water
Wetland
IELD BORO
Wetland
Barren
WOODBRIDGE
Barren
Water
METUCHEN
Water
Municipal
boundaries
Percent
“Impervious cover”
Legend
w07lu02
IS02
(pavement and rooftops)
is an
indicator of
Water
Watershed boundary
urbanization
and of
Expressways
disturbance
of the
aquatic ecology
General Guide
0-10 (minimially disturbed)
10-25 (slighly disturbed)
25-50 (moderately disturbed)
50-75 (highly disturbed)
75-100 (very highly disturbed)
Municipal boundaries
WEST BRANCH
EA
ST
BR
AN
CH
“Point Source”
Discharges:
Wastewater
Treatment Plants,
Legend
Legend
§
¨¦
Treated Industrial
NJPDES-SW
NJPDES-SW
Wastewater
H
MA
78
RO
NB
OK
BE
I ZA
EL
DISTYPE
TH
NO
A
EG
Newark
RIV
ER
£
¤
RS
SE
ES
£
¤
CG
K
K
EE
SC
CR
1
IN S
MA
WWTP - majorWWTP - majo
TEM
Industrial - major
Industrial - ma
ROBINSONS BRANCH
§
¨¦
CG
R
MO
MO
22
DISTYPE
§
¨¦
95
Industrial - minor
Industrial - mi
SO
UT
H
BR
AN
CH
GSP
CSO
now removed
CSO
Petroleum remediation
Petroleum rem
Two Wastewater Treatment Plants
treat sewage and industrial wastes
Rahway Valley WWTP -serves ~300,000 residents and 3,500
industrial and commercial customers
in 14 towns; 40 million gallons per
day; secondary treatment;
discharges to Rahway River
Linden-Roselle WWTP -serves Linden and Roselle; 17 MGD;
discharges to the Arthur Kill.
Secondary treatment?
Main pollutants in discharge are nitrogen and phosphorus;
pharmaceuticals are becoming an issues
“Known Contaminated Sites”
WEST BRANCH
EA
ST
BR
AN
CH
Again, more intense
downstream.
Newark
§
¨¦
78
HE
MA
What effect are they
Legend having on the
contaminated_sites
Rahway River and
£
¤
<all other values>
tributaries??
G
TH
NO
OK
BE
I ZA
EL
RO
B
AN
RIV
ER
£
¤
RS
R
MO
MO
22
SE
ES
K
TEM
§
¨¦
REM_LEVEL
GSP
Minor
CH
AN
BR
H
UT
SO
K
EE
IN S
MA
ROBINSONS BRANCH
SC
CR
1
§
¨¦
95
Minor (n = 305)
Moderate (314)
Major/Complicated (50)
#
0#
0
#
0
#
0#0
0#
0
#
0#
#
0
0
#
0#
#
0
#
0
#
0
0
#
0#
#
0
#
0
#
0
Drinking Water Wells
and
Areas with Contaminated
Groundwater
0
#
0#
CH
AN
0
#
0
#
0#
#
0
#
0
BR
#
0
#
0
#
0
ST
#
0#0
#
0
0
#
0#
#
0
#
0
0
0#
#
0
#
0#
#
0
#
0
#
0
#
0#
#
0
0
0#
#
0
#
0
0
0#
#
0#
#
0
WEST BRANCH
#
0#
0#
0
#
0
EA
#
0#
0
#
0
#
0
#
0#
0#
#
0
0
#
0
0
#
0#
Newark
§
¨¦
78
0
0#
0
#
0#
#
0#
TH
RI V
ER
0
#
0#
RS
ES
CK
K
#
0
#
0
14
Watershed boundary
15
10
TEM
ROBINSONS BRANCH
§
¨¦
AN
BR
H
UT
#
0#
0
0
0#
#
0
#
0#
0
#
0#
CH
GSP
SO
0
#
0#
#
0#
0
#
0#
#
0
0#
#
0
0
#
0
0
0
#
0#
#
0 #
0
#
0#
0
£
¤
IN S
#
0#
0
#
0
#
0
Area of
Watershed
boundary
cea - gw contam
area
contaminated
10
groundwater
Water
MA
#
0
0
#
0
0
0#
#
0#
#
0#
0
#
0#
Water
1
EE
#
0
#
0#
0
#
0
#
0
CR
#
0
#
0
Legend
MO
#
0
ES
#
0
#
0
RS
0#
0
#
0#
cea - gw contam area
BE
#
0
#
0
#
0
22
#
0A
G
#
0
#
0
HE
Legend
0
0#
0#
#
0#
K
MO
£
¤
MA
OO
I ZA
EL
NO
R
NB
§
¨¦
95
Water Supply Wells (from NJDEP)
#
0
#
0
14
<1000 gals/min
15
>1000 gals/min
Water Supply Wells (from NJDEP)
#
0
<1000 gals/min
Review – Sources of Pollution
• Nonpoint sources (polluted runoff)
– misapplied fertilizers & pesticides from lawns
– motor vehicle related (exhaust fall out and wash off,
rusting metal, tire wear, leaking fluids)
– pet and wildlife feces; leaking sewers
– more pavement ==> more pollution
– larger and more frequent high flows
• Treated Wastewater
– only two, at downstream end of watershed
– nutrients: nitrogen and phosphorus
– pharmaceutical problem is poorly understood
• Contaminated Sites
– lots of them; most of the major ones downstream
– impact on waterways uncertain
EFFECTS OF WATER POLLUTION /
BENEFITS OF CLEAN WATER
• Human Health
– potential expose to pathogens during
“secondary contact recreation”, namely,
boating and fishing
– fish consumption
• Ecological (on fish and aquatic wildlife)
• Quality of Life
• Economic
BLOOMFIELD TWP
GLEN RIDGE BORO
!
BELLEVILLE TWP
NORTH ARLINGTON BORO
LIVINGSTON TWP
!
AM PARK BORO
NJDEP’s monitoring of small,
aquatic, invertebrate animals
W ORANGE
!
! !
CH
EAST NEWARK BORO
BR
AN
!
!
SUMMIT
(insect larvae, snails, clams, crayfish):
HARRISON TOWN
S ORANGE
NEWARK
EA
WEST BRANCH
CHATHAM BORO
!
KEARNY TOWN
E ORANGE
ST
ORO
ORANGE
MILLBURN
MAPLEWOOD
IRVINGTON
Newark
§
¨¦
78
!
OVIDENCE BORO
SPRINGFIELD
RO
HILLSIDE
UNION
OK
I ZA
EL
B
AN
!
KENILWORTH
AN
FO
ELIZABETH
ROSELLE PARK
RS
MO
MO
RD
K
CK
EE
FANWOOD
ES
CR
RS
ROSELLE BORO
GARWOOD
ES
WESTFIELD
ER
CR
RI V
!
TH
TWP
BE
EG
AH
OM
NMOUNTAINSIDE
All 10 sites are
“moderately impaired”
regarding expected
biodiversity and presence
of sensitive species
WINFIELD
MA
IN S
!
CLARK
!
ROBINSONS BRANCH
§
¨¦
!
!
RAHWAY
AN
CH
GSP
§
¨¦
BR
EDISON
H
95
UT
SO
FIELD BORO
!
CARTERET
!
WOODBRIDGE
!
METUCHEN
TEM
!
SCOTCH PLAINS
ELD CITY
LINDEN
An indicator of impaired
overall ecological condition
WEST BRANCH
EA
ST
BR
AN
CH
Fish
“Index of Biotic Integrity”
H
§
¨¦
78
RO
OK
BE
MA
NB
Newark
I ZA
EL
TH
NO
A
EG
Is there the expected
diversity of fish species?
Legend
Are most of the fish
fish-ibi
species found tolerant or
IBIRAR1
intolerant of pollution?
RI V
ER
£
¤
RS
MO
MO
22
RS
ES
£
¤
ES
CR
1
K
CK
EE
MA
IN S
Excellent
TEM
ROBINSONS BRANCH
§
¨¦
Good
SO
UT
H
BR
AN
CH
GSP
§
¨¦
95
Fair
Poor
Quality of Life Effects
•Recreation
•Relaxation
•Aesthetics
•“Existence Value”
Actual or perceived water pollution is
depriving some people use of the water in
one or more ways to some extent .
Or, improved water quality would allow
more people to use the water more often, in
more ways, and/or enjoy it more.
Economic Effects of Water Pollution
• Diminished value of near-water properties
• Lost business opportunities servicing
River users
• Unavailable for drinking and/or industrial
uses; increase treatment costs
• Physical and mental health care costs and
lost productivity resulting from diminished
recreation and relaxation
HARD TO PUT A NUMBER ON THESE
SOLUTIONS: Approaches for Reducing
Urban, Nonpoint Water Pollution
• Regulatory Approaches
– NJ Stormwater Management Rules
– Municipal Stormwater Regulation Program
(MS4 permitting program)
– Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs)
• Regional Stormwater Management Plans
• “Green” redevelopment
• Education for behavioral change
– organizational (municipalities and business)
– personal, household
NJ Stormwater Management Rules
effective February 2004.
• Strict for major “new”
development (>.25 acre
of new impervious
surface)
– infiltrate stormwater into
the ground
– high quality discharge
• Not too strict for
redevelopment
(rebuilding on existing
impervious surfaces)
see njstormwater.org
BR
AN
CH
EA
ST
WEST BRANCH
§
¨¦
78
K
OO
BR
I ZA
EL
T
BE
MA
NO
AN
HEG
Newark
R
I VE
HR
£
¤
SO
UT
H
BR
A
NC
H
GSP
§
¨¦
95
1
K
M
ST E
§
¨¦
£
¤
C
ES
EK
RE
SC
SE
IN
MA
ROBINSONS BRANCH
RS
MO
R
MO
22
Parcels with a
change in type of
Land Use,
1995 to 2002
Municipal Stormwater Regulation Program
Municipal Separate Storm Sewer (MS4; “Phase 2”) Permit Program
(started in 2004)
Don’t feed the geese
Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs)
• Determination of the maximum amount of a
certain pollutant that a river or lake can receive
while still meeting designating uses
• If there is a failure to meet designated use, the
state must
– develop a TMDL for the offending pollutant
– develop a plan for reducing the load to below the
TMDL
• Areas not meeting secondary contact standard
are under a TMDL for pathogen indicators –
but implementation plan is not very specific
• Prescribes 95% reduction in Fecal Coliform!
“Regional Stormwater Management Plans”
Robinson’s Branch Project
www.water.rutgers.edu/Projects/Robinsons/Robinsons.htm
Proposes numerous ordinances, educational initiatives and
in-the-ground projects
•requiring low/no phosphorus fertilizer
•forbidding no coal tar as asphalt sealant
•requiring registration/education of
landscaping professionals
•creation of a stormwater utility authority
•catch-basin cleaning program
•goose management
•streambank stabilization
“Green” redevelopment
aka “Low Impact Development”
BASIC APPROACH
1. Reduce volume of runoff by …
• reduce amount of impervious cover
• infiltrate stormwater into the ground
2. Reduce peak flow rate of runoff by …
• reduce volume of runoff as per #1
• detention pond, wetlands
3. Reduce pollutants in discharge by …
– detention ponds, wetlands, manufactured
treatment devices
NOTE LOSS OF SIDEWALKS
Constraints
• retrofits expensive and disruptive
• very little land to use in urban areas
• market acceptability still unproven
for some practices
• long-term performance unproven
Education for Behavioral Change
• It’s relatively cheap
• But …
– it is very difficult and never ending
– Progress is slow
How do you reach people
and get them to change?
Education for Behavioral Change
• Brochures – many available
www.cleanwaternj.org
www.epa.gov/enviroed
How effective is distribution of information?
•
•
•
•
Events, esp. Earth Day. River clean-ups
Presentations to Community Groups (scouts)
School programs
New Jersey Watershed
Ambassadors will help
www.nj.gov/dep/watershedmgt/
ambassadors_index.htm
SIMPLE THINGS
YOU CAN DO
(OR STOP DOING)
Don’t apply pesticides –
they can runoff into the
river and cause harm
Without pesticides, your
lawn will still look ok, and
you can be sure it’s safe
for kids, pets and
vegetables – you’ll never
see this on your lawn!
Which is more
important to you: a
weed free lawn or the
health of kids and
pets?
Are clover and
dandelions
weeds or
wildflowers?
So-called “weeds” can add beauty and fun to your
lawn. If you like them, they aren’t weeds!
Never dump oil or
other chemicals
down a storm
drain inlet (or
anywhere else)
Take them to an oil recycling center or to
hazardous waste collection day
• Drive your car less
• Make sure its not leaking fluids
• Don’t wash it on the driveway
More at
www.cleanwaternj.org
The End
Passaic River Institute,
Montclair State University
email: pri@montclair.edu
web: www.primsu.org
973-655-7117
Dr. Kirk Barrett, Director
Re- Acknowledge NJDEP Bureau of Water
Monitoring and Standards; Bureau of
Geographic Information Systems