Watershed Management Area 13
Barnegat Bay

Watershed Management Area 13 includes watersheds that drain the central Atlantic drainage of New Jersey. The Barnegat Bay Watershed is a 660 square mile area encompassing all of the land and water in Ocean County, as well as parts of Monmouth County. The area lies mostly in Ocean County and includes the Barnegat Bay as well as the following subwatersheds: Metedeconk River, Toms River, Forked River, Cedar Creek.

The Toms River drains an area 124 square miles. It flows from western Ocean and Monmouth Counties southeast to Barnegat Bay at the town of Toms River, 11 miles north of Barnegat Inlet. This is an area of low relief, containing many small tributaries which feed into the Toms River. The larger tributaries include Davenports Branch, Union Branch and Wrangle Brook. The watershed also drains a large area of the Pinelands. Major impoundments include Success Lake and Horicon Lake. Population centers include Toms River, Lakehurst, Dover and Manchester.

This watershed lies in the Coastal Plain and is about one-half forested, with the remainder residential developments, a military installation and agriculture. There has been a substantial amount of new residential and commercial development throughout the watershed in the past five years. Of approximately 9 NJPDES permitted discharges within the watershed, half are industrial/commercial, and half are municipal/institutional. Waters have been classified as Pinelands (some of the Pinelands waters are also designated trout maintenance), FW-1, FW-2 Nontrout, and SE-1.

The Barnegat Bay National Estuarine Program and Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan

In 1995, the Office of the Governor of New Jersey requested ther admission of Barnegat Bay into the EPA's National Estuary Program. The Barnegat Bay National Estuary Program (BBNEP) is "a partnership of federal, state and local interests" overseeing the development and implementation of a management plan and the community efforts in the entire watershed area. The efforts have culminated in the development of a Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan (CCMP) to protect the Estuary. The CCMP was approved by the USEPA in May 2002 and serves as a comprehensive watershed management and planning implementation document for the Barnegat Bay Watershed. The Program is made up of subcommittees who oversee the various aspects of the management plan: the Citizens Advisory Committee, The Science and Technical Advisory Committee, the Advisory Committee and the Policy Committee. The BBNEP and its active partnerships meet regularly to carry out USEPA requirements and also serve as the Divisions' public advisory committee on watershed activities in WMA 13.

For additional information on the Barnegat Bay Watershed Management Area, please contact:

Bob Mancini, WMA 13 Area Manager
Bob.Mancini@dep.state.nj.us
(609) 777-0580

Watershed Management Area 13 Map
Watershed Management Area 13 Factsheet (PDF Format)

Watershed Plans
Barnegat Bay CCMP (approved)
Long Swamp Creek (approved)
Lake Pohatcong (under development)
Lake Carasaljo (approved)

Priority Segment for Restoration
Long Swamp Creek

TMDL Implementation Priorities
Lake Pohatcong Eutrophication
Toms River and Metedeconk River Fecal Coliform

Active Projects

	Section 319(h) NPS Grant: Wetland Enhancement and Riparian Corridor Restoration at the Ocean County Vocational Technical School (OCVTS) Dover Township This implementation project would restore and retrofit an exisiting stormwater treatment basin at the Ocean County Vo-Tech School which drains to a tributary within the Long Swamp Creek Watershed.oject completed in April 2003 and approved as a watershed based plan. Identifies various stormwater implementation projects that are needed to restore water quality in the watershed.
	Section 319(h) NPS Grant: Implementation of Golf Course Best Management Practices at Bey Lea Municipal Golf Course Dover Township This implementation project will apply best management stragies to address stormwater problems at this municipal golf course to reduce pollutatnt loadings to the LongSwamp Creek and Toms River watersheds.
	Long Swamp Creek Stormwater Implementation BMPs Ocean County Board of Chosen Freeholders This proposed implementation project would provide $100,000 to install selected manufactured stormwater treatment devices to address TSS problems within the lower reaches of Long Swamp Creek within the Toms River Watershed.
	Section 319(h) NPS Grant: Stormwater and Nonpoint Source Pollution Prevention Best Management Practices Demonstration Project for Marinas Marine Trades Association of NJ Foundation This project was completed in June 2005 and sucessfully enhanced the awareness of innovative non point source pollution control measures for marina operators throughout the watershed and the entire state.
	Section 319(h) NPS Grant: The Development of a Strategic Water Quality Plan for the Long Swamp Creek Watershed Dover Township Project completed in April 2003 and approved as a watershed based plan. Identifies various stormwater implementation projects that are needed to restore water quality in the watershed.
	Section 319(h) NPS Grant: Watershed Assessment and Water Quality Improvement Program for Lake Pohatcong Tuckerton Borough This project will establish a watershed assessment for the Lake Pohatcong watershed, development and implementation of a Goose Management Plan and nuisance abatement program and a non point source pollution stormwater public education program.
	Section 319(h) NPS Grant: The Development of a Strategic Water Quality Improvement Plan for Lake Carasaljo Lakewood Township Project completed in April 2005 and approved as a watershed based plan. Identifies various stormwater implementation projects that are needed to restore water quality to the lake and its watershed.
	Atlantic Coastal Watershed Region Program Grant: Stormwater Basin and Storm Drain Projects in Support of the Barnegat Bay Watershed Ocean County This implementation project is providing $200,000 to retrofit priority selected stormwater basins throughout the Barnegat Bay Watershed to enhance recharge and infiltration.
	Section 319(h) NPS Grant: Restoration and Spatial Assessment of Submerged Aquatic Vegetation in Barnegat Bay, New Jersey Montclair State University This project was completed in December 2005 and resulted in the successful restoration of eelgrass and widgeon grass beds at 20 selected sites throughout the Barnegat Bay watershed.
	Section 319(h) NPS Grant: Stormwater Drainage System Seaside Heights Borough Completed. This project resulted in the assessment and cleaning of selected stormwater infrastructure systems that resulted in improvements to the Borough’s stormwater systems.
	Section 319(h) NPS Grant: Sub Watershed Action Project for the Long Swamp Creek Watershed Ocean County Soil Conservation District

WMA 13 Partnerships
Barnegat Bay National Estuary Program
Jacques Cousteau National Estuarine Research Reserve
Marine Trades Association
Monmouth University
Montclair State University
New Jersey Clean Vessel Act Program
Ocean County Department of Planning
Ocean County Health Department
Ocean County Soil Conservation District
Rutgers University
United State Geological Survey

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