The 2008 Integrated Water Quality Monitoring and Assessment Report (2008 Integrated Report) includes the 2008 Integrated List of Waters (Integrated List) and the 2008 List of Water Quality Limited Waters (303(d) List). The 2008 Integrated Report identifies the extent to which waters of the State are attaining designated uses pursuant to Section 305(b) of the federal Clean Water Act (Act) and also identifies waters that do not attain designated uses because they exceed New Jersey surface water quality standards and require the development of Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs) to meet those standards, pursuant to Section 303(d) of the Act. The 2008 Integrated Report also identifies waters that were identified as not meeting designated uses on the 2006 303(d) List but are now meeting surface water quality standards and attaining designated uses. All current and historic water quality assessment documents, as well as relevant U.S. Environmental Protection AGency (USEPA) guidance, are available under Technical Support and Related Documents. Additional information about the Integrated Report Process is available under General Information.

Current Status of the 2008 Integrated Report

The final 2008 Integrated Report, the final 2008 Integrated List, and the final 2008 303(d) List were approved by USEPA on August 13, 2009. The final 2008 303(d) List was adopted by the Department on October 8, 2009 as an amendment to the Statewide Water Quality Management Plan Amendment. A notice of adoption of the 2008 303(d) List was published in the New Jersey Register on November 16, 2009.

Final 2008 Integrated Report Fact Sheet

Final 2008 Integrated Report Presentation

Key Findings of the 2008 Integrated Report

Designated uses were fully attained* in 37 out of 480 fully assessed subwatersheds, compared to 24 out of 241 in 2006. 87 subwatershed/pollutant combinations were delisted from the 2006 303(d) List of Water Quality Limited Waters as a result of water quality improvement/restoration, TMDL development, revisions to surface water quality standards, or other reasons. Overall, known water quality and use attainment did not change significantly between the 2006 and 2008. Generally, subwatersheds that do not attain more than one designated use are located in urban/developed areas of the State while subwatersheds that attain all applicable designated uses are located in the Pinelands and other less developed areas of the State. 24% of all 970 subwatersheds attained the general aquatic life use. 21% of 196 applicable subwatersheds attained the trout aquatic life use. None of the subwatersheds assessed for the fish consumption use attained the use because of fish consumption advisories restricting consumption of certain species contaminated with toxic chemical that persist in the aquatic environment, such as PCBs, mercury, and certain pesticides. 65% of 169 applicable subwatersheds attained the shellfish harvest for consumption use. Since 2002, shellfish waters approved for unrestricted harvest increased by 7,000 acres, indicating an improving trend in water quality in New Jersey’s estuaries. 19% of 970 subwatersheds attained the recreation use; however, all of the State’s ocean beaches from Sandy Hook to Cape May Point are fully swimmable, i.e., they attain the primary contact recreational use, with the exception of two beaches in Spring Lake, Monmouth County, that are particularly affected by the impact of excessive rainfall on discharge from Wreck Pond and are subject to precautionary closures after heavy rainfall. The 2008 303(d) List identified 41 pollutants causing non-attainment of a designated use in one or more subwatersheds, resulting in 2,304 subwatershed/pollutant combinations, compared to 34 pollutants and 2,188 subwatershed/ pollutant combinations in 2006. The ten most frequently listed pollutants (“top ten”) in 2008 were responsible for 70% of the 303(d) listings: PCB, Mercury, Cause Unknown**, Arsenic, Phosphorus, Dissolved Oxygen, DDx (DDD, DDE, DDT), pH, Chlordane, and Temperature. * Fully attained” means all applicable designated uses except fish consumption were assessed and attained, in accordance with USEPA guidelines. ** "Cause Unknown" means biological data indicated impairment of the general aquatic life use but chemical water quality data was unavailable or showed no exceedances of applicable criteria.

Key Elements of the 2008 Integrated Report
Data Solicitation/ Reporting Period	Methods Document	303(d) List	Integrated List (sublists 1-5)	Integrated Report
January 1, 2002-December 31, 2006	2008 Draft Methods Document	2008 303(d) List (draft)	2008 Integrated List (draft)	2008 Integrated Report (draft)
	2008 Methods Document (revised final)	2008 303(d) List final	2008 Integrated List final	2008 Integrated Report final
Public Notices
February 20, 2007	July 2, 2007	August 18, 2008	August 18, 2008	August 18, 2008
July 11, 2007	n/a	October 20, 2008	October 20, 2008	October 20, 2008
		EPA Approved August 13, 2009	EPA Approved August 13, 2009	DEP Adopted October 8, 2009
		DEP Adopted October 8, 2009	DEP Adopted October 8, 2009

For more information, please contact the Bureau of Water Quality Standards and Assessment at (609) 777-1753.