NJDEP STRATEGY FOR BARNEGAT BAY

The Barnegat Bay Estuary watershed encompasses most of the 33 municipalities in Ocean County as well as four municipalities in Monmouth County. Long recognized for its great aesthetic, economic, and recreational value, this backbay system is now affected by an array of human impacts that potentially threaten its ecological integrity.

The Barnegat Bay Estuary's 75-square mile environmentally sensitive estuarine system, consists of aquatic vegetation, shellfish beds, finfish habitats, waterfowl nesting grounds, and spectacular vistas as well as a population of more than 500,000 people, which more than doubles during the summer season. The magnitude and intensity of different land uses in the Barnegat Bay watershed is also impacting the Bay.

The Department, in partnership with several stakeholder groups is working to determine the cause and effect of observed ecological problems.

DEP BARNEGAT BAY ACTION PLAN ANNOUNCEMENT
by Commissioner Lisa P. Jackson at Guardians of the Barnegat Bay Ceremony at the Barnegat Bay Festival
Sunday, June 1, 2008, Wanamaker Complex, Island Heights, NJ

Good afternoon, I am delighted to be here today in beautiful and historic Island Heights to celebrate the 11th Annual Barnegat Bay Festival. Thank you Stan Hales for inviting me and congratulations on another successful festival. Also, welcome to my colleagues here on the stage and thanks to Mayor Siddons for hosting this event.

I am here today to speak with you about an important initiative that our Department will be undertaking with the BBNEP and its partners. About a year ago, the Department began an assessment of the data and research on the ecological conditions of the Barnegat Bay collected over the years by state scientists as well as scientists from our state academic institutions.

The assessment of these studies revealed that, without question, there is evidence of ecological decline in the Barnegat Bay. Despite excellent water quality, there is evidence of increased loads of Nitrogen to the Bay from groundwater (as recorded by USGS), decline of historic sea grass beds (as recorded by Rutgers researchers), decline of shellfish as recorded by our own Shellfish program and increased occurrences of sea nettles all of which indicate that all is not well in Barnegat Bay.

In order to learn why we are seeing these declines, the source of these problems and how best to address and correct them, I am announcing immediate and measurable steps that the NJDEP will take to determine the nature and extent of this degradation so that protective measures can be implemented to ensure the ecological integrity of Barnegat Bay.

1. The DEP will fund the development of a benthic index (set of biological indicators) which will give us information on the ecological health of the Bay's living resources.
   
2. We will establish a technical group made up of DEP technical staff and stakeholders with representatives of the fertilizer industry to determine if formulas can be adjusted in order to reduce the amount of nutrients getting into the Bay from fertilizers.
   
3. We will work with the BBNEP and its stakeholders to develop public education programs about how runoff from fertilizers and other nonpoint source pollution is affecting the Bay and what we can all do to stop it. Example: native plant demonstration projects.
   
4. We will develop a model fertilizer ordinance and work with BBNEP and its partners to encourage municipalities to sign an MOU and pass the ordinance to reduce runoff of nutrients into the Bay.
   
5. We will continue to be vigilant in the implementation of Stormwater Phase 2 and encourage retrofits of stormwater outfalls to further reduce inputs to the Bay, and
   
6. We will work with the BBNEP and its partners to develop projects and investigations that will track down the sources of pollution so that cause and effect is better understood for restoration projects and so that responsible parties are forced to clean up and correct problems.

The Barnegat Bay is one of the jewels of our state. It is critical to the economic and ecological value of our state. The NJDEP is committed to ensuring that Barnegat Bay will remain a viable and healthy multi-use ecosystem that we can all enjoy for many years to come.

DEP RESEARCH INFORMATION ON BARNEGAT BAY

	Overview of the Technical Issues Thomas Belton, Division of Science, Research & Technology
	Water Quality Leslie McGeorge and Bob Connell, Water Monitoring & Standards
	Current Criteria and Alternatives Deb Hammond, Water Monitoring & Standards and Barb Hirst, Land Use Management
	Ecological Health and Assessment Bob Connell, Water Monitoring & Standards and Bob Celestino and Jim Joseph, Natural & Historic Resources
	Watershed Analysis Bob Mancini, Land Use Management
	Water Flow/Budget in the Bay Jeff Hoffman, New Jersey Geological Survey
	Nutrient Loading to the Bay Bob Nicholson, U.S. Geological Survey
	New Rules Larry Baier, Land Use Management