Elevated levels of bacteria, nutrients, and suspended sediments exceeding MCLs is of concern for a number of New Jersey streams. Uncontrolled, non-point (NPS) pollution from increasing commercial and residential land development throughout the State is of special concern. For effective placement of appropriate best management practices (BMPs) and the establishment of TMDLs, water-resource managers at the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) need to understand how land development affects surface-water quality.
START DATE: April 1994
END DATE: April 2009
PROJECT NUMBER: 2454AAG
STUDY OBJECTIVES:
The purpose of the Non-point Source (NPS) Storm-Monitoring Study, a multi-year surface water quality investigation by the USGS and NJDEP, is to estimate the NPS loads of nutrients, bacteria, and suspended solids from various land use areas in selected river systems throughout New Jersey. The study objectives are to
- document the current water quality before NPS and storm water management strategies are initiated,
- establish automatic sampler protocols for monitoring in-stream water quality during storm-flow (developed during the Toms River study), and
- develop a water quality model to estimate unit NPS loads of selected constituents associated with different land-uses in selected watersheds throughout New Jersey.
STATEMENT OF PROBLEM:
With the recent heavy focus on the Clean Water Act, Watershed planning, and the establishment of TMDL's for all New Jersey Streams there is a need for better understanding of non-point source loadings. Elevated levels of bacteria, nutrients, and suspended sediments exceeding MCLs is of concern for a number of New Jersey streams. Uncontrolled, non-point (NPS) pollution from increasing commercial and residential land development throughout the State is of special concern. For effective placement of appropriate best management practices (BMPs) and the establishment of TMDLs, water-resource managers at the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) need to understand how land development affects surface-water quality.
STRATEGY AND APPROACH:
Using existing land use distribution and drainage area data with a geographic information system, monitoring sites having different and nearly-homogeneous land use will be selected and monitored within selected watersheds. Water quality, stage, and discharge data will be collected periodically at the sites during base and high (storm) flows in each season over a several year period. Land-use loads and flow-duration curves will be developed from the data. Water-quality relations versus land-use will be developed and verified to provide tools that can be used to determine NPS constituent loads from drainage areas of mixed land use.
DISCLAIMER: This webpage contains information about completed or inactive projects from the NJ Water Science Center. It has been created for historical purposes and may be a utility to locate published information. This page should not be considered an authoritative source. You are encouraged to contact the NJ WSC for more current information.
Below are publications associated with this project.
Contributions of nitrogen to the Barnegat Bay-Little Egg Harbor Estuary: Updated loading estimates
- Overview
Elevated levels of bacteria, nutrients, and suspended sediments exceeding MCLs is of concern for a number of New Jersey streams. Uncontrolled, non-point (NPS) pollution from increasing commercial and residential land development throughout the State is of special concern. For effective placement of appropriate best management practices (BMPs) and the establishment of TMDLs, water-resource managers at the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) need to understand how land development affects surface-water quality.
START DATE: April 1994
END DATE: April 2009
PROJECT NUMBER: 2454AAG
STUDY OBJECTIVES:
The purpose of the Non-point Source (NPS) Storm-Monitoring Study, a multi-year surface water quality investigation by the USGS and NJDEP, is to estimate the NPS loads of nutrients, bacteria, and suspended solids from various land use areas in selected river systems throughout New Jersey. The study objectives are to
- document the current water quality before NPS and storm water management strategies are initiated,
- establish automatic sampler protocols for monitoring in-stream water quality during storm-flow (developed during the Toms River study), and
- develop a water quality model to estimate unit NPS loads of selected constituents associated with different land-uses in selected watersheds throughout New Jersey.
STATEMENT OF PROBLEM:
With the recent heavy focus on the Clean Water Act, Watershed planning, and the establishment of TMDL's for all New Jersey Streams there is a need for better understanding of non-point source loadings. Elevated levels of bacteria, nutrients, and suspended sediments exceeding MCLs is of concern for a number of New Jersey streams. Uncontrolled, non-point (NPS) pollution from increasing commercial and residential land development throughout the State is of special concern. For effective placement of appropriate best management practices (BMPs) and the establishment of TMDLs, water-resource managers at the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) need to understand how land development affects surface-water quality.
STRATEGY AND APPROACH:
Using existing land use distribution and drainage area data with a geographic information system, monitoring sites having different and nearly-homogeneous land use will be selected and monitored within selected watersheds. Water quality, stage, and discharge data will be collected periodically at the sites during base and high (storm) flows in each season over a several year period. Land-use loads and flow-duration curves will be developed from the data. Water-quality relations versus land-use will be developed and verified to provide tools that can be used to determine NPS constituent loads from drainage areas of mixed land use.
DISCLAIMER: This webpage contains information about completed or inactive projects from the NJ Water Science Center. It has been created for historical purposes and may be a utility to locate published information. This page should not be considered an authoritative source. You are encouraged to contact the NJ WSC for more current information.
- Publications
Below are publications associated with this project.
Contributions of nitrogen to the Barnegat Bay-Little Egg Harbor Estuary: Updated loading estimates
Based on the most recent and most accurate data available through 2008, the total load of nitrogen to the Barnegat Bay‐Little Egg Harbor (BB‐LEH) estuary from the most substantial sources (surface water, including surface‐water discharge and direct storm runoff; ground‐water discharge; and atmospheric deposition) is estimated to be 650,000 kilograms of nitrogen per year (kg N/yr). Surface water coAuthorsChristine M. Wieben, Ronald J. Baker