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Figure 2. Volunteers planted trees in a riparian area in June 2005
(left). By August 2010 (right), a healthy riparian buffer had become
established along this stretch of the Request River.
The Liberty Township Environment Commission,
in cooperation with local partners, also installed
an oil/sediment manufactured stormwater treat-
ment device and eight stormwater inlet treatment
filters treating stormwater runoff that discharged
to Mountain Lake Brook, immediately below the
discharge of Mountain Lake. Implementing these
BMPs was part of a larger collaborative watershed
approach that included watershed education and
outreach components to expand awareness in
the region. Partnership projects and community
service opportunities were instituted by the New
Jersey Department of Environmental Protection's
(NJDEP's) AmeriCorps New Jersey Watershed
Ambassadors Program during this period. A
Watershed Ambassador, stationed at the NJRC&D
office, assisted with implementing and maintaining
riparian restoration projects, performing stream
visual assessments and conducting numerous edu-
cational programs in the watershed. Pollutant load-
ing reductions from wastewater treatment plants
upstream of the waterbody in response to the
development of a TMDL were also instrumental in
attaining water quality standards in the waterbody.
Results
As a result of the restoration activities that were
implemented, NJDEP's ambient monitoring data
collected in the Request River below Furnace Brook
assessment unit between January 1, 2006, and
December 31, 2010, demonstrated that this water-
body was meeting surface water quality standards
for TP and TSS. The improvement in water quality
can be seen in sampling data from sampling station
01446400, which shows decreases in the exceed-
ances of maximum allowable pollutant concentra-
tions over time (Figure 3). As a result, New Jersey
removed the Request River (below Furnace Brook)
from its 2012 list of impaired waters for TP and TSS.
TPandTSS(mg/L)
Improvement in Impaired Parameters
• TSS
• TSS standard (25 mg/L) ,TP
•
.
• . ... •
„• *
• • •• • •
• »
• • • •
' . .
TP standard (0.1 mg/L)
• •
. '•' •*** •*• .' •*"• •••.',
...'•• '. *
.....
.' ' *•
1-98 19-Apr-Ol 14-Jan-04 10-0tt-06 06-M-09 Ol-Apr-12 27-Dec-14
Sampling Dates
Figure 3. Samples collected at Request River station 01446400
show that concentrations of total phosphorus (TP) and total
suspended solids (TSS) decreased over time and now meet
water quality standards. The 02/19/2008 TSS exceedance was
a transient event resulting from storm events. For TSS, values
below the detection limit are not displayed.
Partners and Funding
In 2000 the NJRC&D was awarded a $412,000
CWA section 319 grant to initiate stream buffer
restoration in watersheds throughout the north-
west region of New Jersey. This project involved
the creation of a Riparian Advisory Committee
composed of the various federal, state, county
and municipal government officials; representa-
tives from the agricultural, lake and educational
communities; and interested watershed residents.
Five riparian restorations were completed in the
Request River watershed, costing approximately
$43,000 total. Completion of these restoration
projects involved volunteer participation from local
stakeholder groups.
In 2003 the Liberty Township Environmental
Commission received a $117,000 CWA section
319 grant to install an oil/sediment manufactured
stormwater treatment device and inlet filters.
Volunteers from the Environmental Commission
and the Mountain Lake Community Association and
Advisory Group helped with the project. Partnership
projects and community service opportunities
were instituted by the NJDEP's AmeriCorps New
Jersey Watershed Ambassadors Program during
this period; these contributed to the water quality
improvement.
1
UJ
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Office of Water
Washington, DC
EPA841-F-15-001K
January 2015
For additional information contact:
Jay Springer
New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection
jay.springer@dep.nj.gov « 609-633-1441
David McPartland
New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection
david.mcpartland@dep.nj.gov « 609-633-1441
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