Watershed Management Area 3
Pompton, Pequannock, Wanaque, Ramapo

Watershed Management Area 3 is located within the water-rich Highlands Province of New Jersey. The Pequannock, Wanaque and Ramapo Rivers all flow into the Pompton River. The Pompton River is, in turn, a major tributary to the Upper Passaic River. WMA 3 contains some of the State's major water supply reservoir systems including the Wanaque Reservoir, the largest surface water reservoir in New Jersey. There are four watersheds in WMA 3: Pompton, Ramapo, Pequannock and Wanaque River Watersheds. WMA 3 lies mostly in Passaic County but also includes parts of Bergen, Morris and Sussex Counties.

For additional information on the Pompton, Pequannock, Wanaque and Ramapo Watershed Management Area, please contact:

Pat Rector, WMA 3 Area Manager
Pat.Rector@dep.state.nj.us
(609) 633-8173

Watershed Management Area 3 Map
Watershed Management Area 3 Factsheet (PDF Format)

Watershed Plans
Greenwood Lake (approved plan)
Pequannock River from the outlet of Macopin Reservoir to the Butler boundary (approved plan)
Restoration Master Plan and Stream Bank Implementation for WMA 3 (approved plan)

Priority Segment for Restoration
Pequannock River from the outlet of Macopin Reservoir to the Butler boundary

TMDL Implementation Priorities
Greenwood Lake Phosphorus
Passaic River Phosphorus
Ramapo River Phosphorus
Temperature TMDL for Pequannock River
Macopin River Fecal Coliform (has been remediated and it is anticipated that this stream will be removed from list of impaired waters)

Active Projects

	Section 319(h) NPS Grant: Pequannock River Thermal Mitigation, Monitoring and Assessment Pequannock River Coalition The Pequannock River Watershed in Northeast New Jersey serves as a source of potable water for hundreds of thousands of citizens, provides habitat for a vast array of wildlife and offers an abundance of outdoor recreation. Most sections of the Pequannock River and most river tributaries are classified as FW2-TP(C1) "trout production" or FW2-TM "trout maintenance" earning specific water temperature protections under the New Jersey Surface Water Quality Standards, since trout as the established biota, are extremely sensitive to high water temperatures. In recent years concern has grown over elevated water temperatures in the Pequannock River. These elevated water temperatures triggered a substantial fish kill in 1994 and a less severe kill in 2002. The Pequannock River Coaliton (PCR) initiated a temperature monitoring program in 1994 to determine the sources and extent of these problems and collect baseline data. The PRC was certified by NJDEP for this parameter in 2001. Based on data collected by the PRC in 2001 and 2003 several Pequannock River tributaries were listed as impaired for temperature in the 2002 and 2004 NJDEP Integrated List. This project addressed two nonpoint source areas that are contributing to the increased temperature due to loss or riparian canopy. Riparian restoration was undertaken at Bailey Brook in Bloomingdale and the Pequannock River in Riverdale. Other components of this project were the documentation of areas in the Pequannock River headwaters that are impacted by current or past beaver activity and the collection of flow and temperature data for all significant tributaries in the Lower Pequannock drainage. Identification and mapping of stormwater outfalls in the lower and central Pequannock drainages were also undertaken. The majority of this project is complete, the monitoring is still underway as part of this contract, to ensure a longer term database for temperature in this watershed.
	Section 319(h) NPS Grant: Demonstration Project to Support TMDL Implementation for the Pequannock River Pequannock River Coalition As identified in the Pequannock River TMDL and the Pequannock River Temperature Impairment Characterization, Assessment and Management Plan discharges into river tributaries from smaller lakes and ponds can contribute to thermal elevation in the Pequannock River and its tributaries. This occurs because impoundments slow flows, expose waters to increased sunlight and release heated surface water from impoundments over spillway outlets. Preliminary sampling by the Pequannock River Coalition has shown that small impoundments do offer a level of temperature stratification within these impoundments that may be utilized to achieve downstream temperature reductions of 3-4 F. This project is a demonstration project and will actually occur on the West Brook in the Township of West Milford. The West Brook is impaired for temperature. The demonstration project will provide siphon piping from bottom water to provide a temperature reduction in the West Brook. This system will be monitored and documented for replication on other waterways.
	Section 319(h) NPS Grant: Lake Characterization and Restoration Plan for Greenwood Lake West Milford Township A SFY’04 319(h) multi-faceted grant was funded by New Jersey, and a complimentary NY grant was also funded by NYDEC. The grant will provide monitoring data for the development of a Phase II TMDL, prioritization of stormwater issues on a sub-watershed basis, and in-the-ground installation of stormwater BMPs based on the prioritization. Significant components of the Lake Characterization and Restoration Plan are being developed through this grant, and will provide refined source estimates based on the monitoring, reduction efficiencies, and address the ecological nuances of the shallow NJ portion of the lake and the deeper NY portion.
	Section 604(b) Wastewater Planning Grant: Development of an Onsite Wastewater Treatment Systems (OWTS) Management Plan for the New Jersey End of the Greenwood Lake Watershed, Passaic County, New Jersey West Milford Township The New Jersey section of the Greenwood lake watershed is located in West Milford Township. The planning effort will include: the development of a digital database and establishment of a process for the tracking of OWTS; an update of the estimate of the lake’s annual phosphorus load originating from the OWTS; Collection of sub-surface soil leachate samples to quantify the phosphorus and fecal coliform entering the lake or its tributaries; identification of potential management measures for the OWTS; an effective, aggressive, pro-active public educational initiative; an implementation schedule including budgetary and technical needs; and the development of an objective and rational prioritization scheme for the OWTS focusing on maintenance, inspection and to varying degrees rehabilitation. The grant provides for identification of potential management measures to address the prioritized OWTS within the planning area to be developed into an OWTS BMP manual. The final task will be the submission of the OWTS Management Plan by the Township to the NJDEP as a proposed amendment to the Northeast Areawide Water Quality Management Plan.
	Section 319(h) NPS Grant: Greenwood Lake Stormwater Implementation West Milford Township

WMA 3 Partnerships
East Jersey Trout Unlimited
Mahwah Township
Pequannock River Coalition
Wayne Township
West Milford Township
WMA 3 PAC/TAC

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