Ever
wonder what you’re swimming in? The New Jersey Department of Environmental
Protection’s (DEP) 2014 Integrated Report (IR) was released on February 1,
2016. This report analyzes thousands of water samples collected from 2008 to
2012 by local, county, and state entities and assembles
these results into a report on the water quality in NJ. It includes the
infamous “303(d) list”: waters that do not meet the designated water quality
standards and are “impaired”, meaning they are polluted.
The results of the 2014 Integrated Report are not positive
for water quality in NJ: only 14 of the 958 Assessment
Units in the state meet all designated uses (such as supporting aquatic
life, recreation in or on the water, shellfishing, drinking water, irrigation
for agriculture, etc.). This means
that over 98% of the waters in the State fail to fully meet water quality
standards.
While much more analysis of the report needs to be done,
there are numerous red flags beyond these troubling results. COA will review
and comment on the report, and urge action to improve waterways.
Comments
on the 2014 IR are due March 1, giving the public a mere 30 days to review
several hundred pages of important information. COA and several other environmental
groups have requested that NJDEP extend this timeframe to allow for meaningful
review and public comment.
Below
is an important link to review; see if any waterbodies in your area have been
newly listed or still impaired even after past listings. Let us know if a
waterbody in your area has been newly added to the 303(d) list.
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The 2014 Integrated Report: http://www.state.nj.us/dep/wms/bears/2014_integrated_report.htm. Scroll down
to the list of additional links to find the list of waters that do not meet a
designated use (draft integrated list sublists 1-5) and the list of newly
changed listings (draft changes in designated use assessment results)
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COA recommends that every interested citizen find their Watershed
Management Area number:
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