CHARTER

Establishment

The New Jersey Water Monitoring Coordinating Council was established on October 24, 2003 as part of New Jersey’s celebration of World Water Monitoring Day.

Vision

To provide a water information foundation for enhanced management and protection of New Jersey’s aquatic environment.

Mission

To serve as a statewide body to promote and facilitate the coordination, collaboration and communication of scientifically sound, ambient water quality and quantity data to support effective environmental management.

Scope

The Council will address the biological, chemical, physical and ecosystem aspects of water monitoring, including surface and ground waters, freshwater, estuarine, and marine environments in New Jersey.

Goals

Enhance coordination, collaboration and communication in New Jersey’s ambient water monitoring community
Promote efficient use of monitoring resources by leveraging existing resources and developing new sources of support
Enhance data exchange and compatibility.

• Promote dissemination of water resource status and trends to all users, including the public
• Facilitate water monitoring technology transfer
• Serve as a water monitoring information source
• Identify information/research needs and/or emerging problems
• Advocate state/interstate monitoring needs/concerns at the federal level
• Integrate with national monitoring organizations/councils

Operating Procedures/Structure

• Informal, consensus driven organization; votes taken, as needed, with one vote per organization (NJDEP – 1 vote/division)
• Open meetings
• Operating Structure - Co-chairs (NJDEP and USGS), Steering Committee, Council Coordinator, Members, Ad-hoc Members

Activities

Activities of the NJ Water Monitoring Coordination Council may include:

• Develop on-line inventory of NJ ambient water monitoring activities
• Review and comment on DEP’s long-term water monitoring strategy for NJ
• Document and compare field and laboratory methods
• Enhance data management, exchange and compatibility
• Evaluate data assessment and information presentation
• Explore access to monitoring data from other organizations (e.g., water purveyors)
• Coordinate use of water environmental indicators
• Coordinate automated sensor monitoring
• Evaluate predictive tools for monitoring
• Integrate volunteer and local monitoring with state/regional programs
• Sponsor water monitoring technical seminars
• Coordinate responses on federal agency documents
• Advocate NJ monitoring needs at the federal level
• Leverage resources (e.g., joint projects)
• Develop funding opportunities for NJ monitoring efforts