Algal Blooms Already Sighted - Please Hold Off on Fertilizer!

On Wednesday, COA received a call from a concerned citizen that had sighted a slick (possibly oil) under the Highland Bridge, the caller had notified authorities.  COA went and investigated.  A patchy, multi-brown colored slick that looked like an algal bloom was observed off the dock by Bahr's and under the Highlands Bridge.  The bloom was visible in several areas off Highlands all the way to the west side of the ferry terminal.  It seemed early given that the water temperatures were 49F according to a local fisherman.

(A side fishtale that has to be shared.... When asked how his fishing party boat survived Sandy so well, he replied that he had rode out the storm in the bay.  At around 8 o'clock the storm surge rolled in as a huge wave which rocked his boat. Then he spent a exhausting night hoping to not to get hit by large debris. It was hard to see but with more light they saw everything from refrigerators to the kitchen sink.)

Back to the bloom...  NJDEP went took samples at 6 shellfishing stations from Keyport to the Bridge and on Thursday confirming algal bloom activity which was particularly high under the bridge.  This bloom is not toxic to people.

There are many different reasons why and where blooms form.  Nutrients contribute to algal growth.  Superstorm Sandy released millions of gallons of raw sewage sewage into waterways and moved a lot of dirt and sediment around - making nutrients more available.  Experts think this summer there may be a lot of blooms in coastal bays and lakes and possibly along the coast as a result.  The Monmouth County Health Department observed a bloom along Bradley Beach earlier this week.  While algal growth to a certain extent is essential to marine life, too much algae can have harmful effects to other marine life by blocking light and using up oxygen when it falls to the seafloor and decomposes.

How can you help?  You can avoid fertilizing your yard.  Fertilizer which contains nutrients can enter runoff and groundwater and flow into our waterways which can cause excessive algal growth.  Other ideas... convert your yard into native plant landscapes and plant trees that  slow down and soak up rain water.  If you must use fertilizer, consider amending your soil instead or use a minimal amount of fertilizer and follow guidelines of the fertilizer law. Typically its best to apply in the early fall.  

Water Monitoring and Barnegat Bay

NJ Water Monitoring Council Meeting Focuses on Barnegat Bay

Barnegat Bay, photo credit: NY Times Richard Perry

In early February, COA participated in a NJ Water Monitoring Council meeting that was hosted by the Barnegat Bay Partnership.  The goal of the NJ Water Monitoring Council was “to promote and facilitate the coordination, collaboration and communication of scientifically sound, ambient water quality and quantity information to support effective environmental management.”  About 100 people attended. 

DEP highlighted the Governor’s 10 point plan for the Bay which included developing nutrient loading targets to direct restoration efforts and to conduct more research to fill gaps in data.  DEP has been monitoring the Bay more intensively from the summer of 2011 and will continue to do so through the summer of 2013.

The northern part of the Bay has the highest loadings of nitrogen, phosphorus, and suspended sediments – which are linked to the intense development in this region.  The Toms River, which drains the largest basin of the watershed, is the largest source of nutrient loadings. 

Nitrogen pollution comes from land disturbance, increased erosion, fertilizer use, burning fossil fuels and its fallout from the air, and increased hardened surfaces such as pavement and roofs that prevent rain, and nitrogen from getting absorbed into the land and plants.   Coastal waters may become even more susceptible to nutrient pollution as coastal waters warm in response to climate change.

Too many nutrients in the Bay has resulted in the excessive growth of harmful algae blooms, such as brown tide, and macroalgae which can lower dissolved oxygen levels in localized areas and degrade seafloor habitats.     Both of these can contribute to the loss of sea grass that has been documented in Bay.  The composition of the microalgal community, and associated food quality for other sea life, may also be affected by nutrient levels.

Although some shellfish can thrive under high microalgae levels, shellfish are negatively impacted by brown tide blooms, decreased food quality, and excessive macro algae such as sea lettuce.  Young clams are also very sensitive to certain types of chemical pollution, such as oil and gas from cars and boats. 

As part of the 10 Point Plan, nutrient water quality standards were adopted for marine waters.  DEP now needs to evaluate the Bay under these standards.  DEP will be taking a comprehensive approach to looking at the nutrient loading problems in Barnegat Bay, including the impacts of Superstorm Sandy.  For example, sand and debris associated with the storm surge and breeches have covered seagrass beds and wetlands areas.  Localized contamination may also have occurred from fuel tanks, cars, fertilizer and other household chemicals. The official determination of whether the Bay fails to meet the state nutrient water quality standard is important for requiring action to be taken to reduce nutrient loadings.

In light of Superstorm Sandy, the need for understanding the sources of the bay’s problems and action to reduce these impacts is more important than ever.  Implementation of the Barnegat Bay Partnership’s strategic plan is critical and can serve as a guide for recovery efforts.  The Special Area Management Plan that was part of the Governor’s 10 Point Plan should be made a priority and be part of the recovery process.  In addition, more enforcement of and stronger stormwater regulations are still needed.  Greater awareness and efforts by the public to decrease the use of fossil fuels and to reduce rain and fertilizer runoff as well as soil loss and erosion would be beneficial to the Bay.

Last Stage of NJ Fertilizer Law Goes Into Effect!

On January 5, 2011, Governor Christie joined dozens of us ocean, environmental, and public health advocates in Waretown, NJ to sign into law the nation's most protective fertilizer control law.

The bill - artfully called "the NJ Fertilizer Law" - puts many 'best management practices' (aka, actions that experts, academics, and scientists already recommend everyone should be doing) into law.

• Consumer lawn fertilizer sold or used in NJ must have at least 20 % of its nitrogen in “slow-release” form (ensures more of the fertilizer stays in the soil, not in the bays, lakes, and rivers)
• Phosphorus is banned from lawn fertilizer with some exceptions (keeps an unneeded chemical out of our waterways)
• Fertilizer application from Nov. 15th – Mar. 1st is prohibited (licensed professionals may apply through Dec. 1st) (fertilizers applied in winter have little lawn benefit, but huge environmental drawbacks)
• Fertilizer application when the ground is frozen, right before a heavy rainfall, or onto surfaces like sidewalks, driveways, and the street is prohibited at all times (makes sure fertilizer will not be used in a way that essentially direct-delivers it to our state's waterways)
• A waterway buffer of 25 feet (with some exceptions) is established (meaning you cannot apply fertilizer within that distance of a river, lake, pond, etc) (keeps waterways clear)
• A Rutgers-managed professionals' licensing system is established to train, test, and license professionals in the state (ensures anyone handling fertilizer for-pay in the state knows what they are doing!)

The provisions of the law on behavioral bans (when and where you can and cannot put fertilizer) have been in effect for a year, and the professionals' online training and licensing program has also been active for a while.

The final step of the law - which went into effect on the 5th, dealt with the content of fertilizer available for sale in state. Any products entering the state from here on will now have limits on the amount of nitrogen per bag, minimums for slow-release nitrogen in each bag, and, in most cases, will not have phosphorous-based compounds.  

Read more about the fertilizer law here: NJ.com story, or here: North Jersey.com story.

This Thanksgiving Spread the Word, Not the Fertilizer

With so much to give thanks for this November 24th, Clean Ocean Action is making sure to highlight one of this year's  great victories.  We are "Spreading the Word, Not the Fertilizer!"  Here's a note from the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection:

The NJ Department of Environmental Protection reminds everyone that as of November 15, residents cannot apply fertilizer to their lawns until next spring. 

Likewise, commercial applicators of fertilizer have until December 1 to complete their customer service cycle of late Fall fertilization.

Fertilizer cannot be applied onto lawns again until March 1st.

New Jersey's Fertilizer Law is a statewide initiative that was established as part of the Governor's 10-point action plan to protect and restore Barnegat Bay. It is  one of the most stringent fertilizer laws in the country and is designed to reduce the nitrogen and phosphorus loadings that can drain into New Jersey's surface and groundwater resources.

For more information about the new law and what you can do to help, go to www.nj.gov/dep/healthylawnshealthywater.

To learn more about the Governor's 10-point action plan to protect and restore Barnegat Bay, go to www.barnegatbay.nj.gov.

New Jersey's fertilizer law is just one of many things we have to be thankful for this year, not least of which is the  deep blue sea we all enjoy so much.  Wishing you and all of your friends and family a happy and healthy Thanksgiving.

Spring = Return of Lawn Care. Be prepared, know the new Fertilizer Laws!

The snow is finally melting and the signs of spring are here with trees budding and flowers sprouting.  The warmer weather also means that its time for me to do yard work again.

My lawn is far from perfect but we enjoy getting outside to try to improve or at least maintain it each year – raking out dead grass clippings and putting down more seed.  We’ll expand gardens and native ground covers a little bit more again this year and hopefully plant another tree.  I picked up a soil testing kit at the NJ’s Garden Show and plan to send it in to Rutgers University to learn how to better manage on our lawn soon.  We leave grass clippings on the yard, so we don’t usually need fertilizer.  But, sometimes small adjustments are useful to keep the grass healthy.  This year it is important to be aware that NJ has a new fertilizer law that is designed to reduce pollution impacts from our yards to our streams, lakes, and coastal waters.

NJ is the first state to limit both the nitrogen and phosphorus content of all lawn-care fertilizer products sold at retail and to regulate the use of these fertilizers by consumers and professionals.  Nutrients from fertilizer can end up in runoff and groundwater creating water quality problems.  So consider alternatives to fertilizing, and if you must fertilize, use products wisely to keep it on your lawn.  Click here for more lawn care tips. 

What you need to know about NJ’s Fertilizer Law:

• Consumer lawn fertilizer sold or used in NJ must have at least 20 % of its nitrogen in “slow-release” form by 2013.

·  Know your lawn size (land area minus house, driveway, etc), as the amounts of both fast-release and total nitrogen applications are limited based on area.

• Phosphorus is banned from lawn fertilizer with some exceptions.

• Prohibits fertilizer application from Nov. 15th – Mar. 1st or any other time the ground is frozen

(professional fertilizer applicators who must be certified, may apply fertilizer until Dec. 1^st ).

• Prohibits fertilizer from being applied within 25 ft. of waterways, before heavy rains, or on impervious surfaces.  If fertilizer does end up on your driveway or the street, be sure to sweep it back onto the yard.

• All lawn care providers applying fertilizers must be certified by 2012.  Rutgers is currently developing the certification program with input from government agencies, business, and non-profit groups, including COA.