| The
New Jersey Department of Environment
Protection has recently developed
a Nutrient Criteria Enhancement Plan,
required under USEPA's National Nutrient
Policy. This document explains the
Department's approach to developing
and enhancing the existing surface
water quality standards, nutrient
criteria and policies to protect designated
uses of all New Jersey's surface waters,
including saline waters (estuarine
and marine). Nutrient criteria development
requires an understanding of the causal
relationships between nutrient over-enrichment,
various response variables, and documented
impacts on attainment of designated
and existing uses of New Jersey waters.
This Plan outlines the steps to support
nutrient criteria development, including
monitoring and data collection; research
of causal relationships; selection
of appropriate indicators of use impairment;
development of new assessment methodologies;
development of new/enhanced criteria;
and promulgation of the new criteria
through amendments to the SWQS.
New
Jersey Surface Water Quality Standards
http://www.state.nj.us/dep/wms/bwqsa/nutrient_criteria.htm
New
Jersey Nutrient Criteria Enhancement
Plan http://www.state.nj.us/dep/wms/bwqsa/Nutrient_Criteria_Enhancement_Plan.Final.pdf
Presentation
to DEP Science Advisory Board -
October 2010
Research
in Support of Nutrient Criteria
Development in New Jersey
The
Office of Science was tasked with
developing new data and models to
support our own state-specific effects-based
nutrient criteria. This ten year
research effort resulted in the
sampling of over a hundred wadeable
streams throughout New Jersey, 50
lakes and various estuaries. These
more recent studies build on research
carried out by the Office of Science
going back to the 1970s involving
water quality analyses, biological
indicator development, hydrology
and hydrogeologic modeling, and
monitoring of the atmospheric deposition
of nutrients from air pollution.
These studies and reports are listed
in attached links for different
waterbody types.
If
questions please contact: Thomas
Belton.
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