February 12, 2020
Governor Phil Murphy • Lt.Governor Sheila Oliver
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State of New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection
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  Bureau of Environmental Analysis, Restoration and Standards

Watershed-Based Plans

Watershed-based planning helps address water quality problems in a holistic manner by fully assessing the contributing causes and sources of pollution, then prioritizing restoration and protection strategies to address these problems. Beginning in State Fiscal Year (SFY) 2006, the Department supported development of Watershed Restoration and Protection Plans, also referred to as Watershed-Based Plans (WBPs), that focused on reducing nonpoint sources (NPS) of water pollution. NPS pollution is caused by precipitation moving over and through the land and carrying natural and synthetic pollutants into surface and ground water. Restoring water resources that are impaired by NPS pollution presents challenges, such as diffuse sources, high costs, and voluntary implementation by the public, that require years of coordination and support from a coalition of stakeholders and stable funding sources. The Department issued federal Section 319(h) pass through grants to fund planning and implementation of projects that would address water quality impairment through implementation of NPS pollution controls, including those specifically identified in approved total maximum daily load (TMDL) implementation plans, or necessary to address pollutants identified on an adopted 303(d) List of Water Quality Limited Waters. WBPs initiated after June 30, 2007 were required to include the nine minimum components of a watershed plan required by USEPA to be eligible for 319(h) grant funds:

  1. Identify causes and sources of pollution
  2. Estimate pollutant loading into the watershed and the expected load reductions
  3. Describe management measures that will achieve load reductions and targeted critical areas
  4. Estimate amounts of technical and financial assistance and the relevant authorities needed to implement the plan
  5. Develop an information/education component
  6. Develop a project schedule
  7. Describe the interim, measurable milestones
  8. Identify indicators to measure progress
  9. Develop a monitoring component

The following 17 WBPs have been approved by the Department and deemed to meet all nine elements by USEPA:

  • Alexauken Creek Watershed Plan
  • Assiscunk Creek Watershed Plan
  • Cedar Grove Watershed Plan
  • Clove Brook Watershed Restoration Plan
  • Long Swamp Creek Watershed Restoration Plan
  • Manalapan Watershed Restoration Plan
  • Metedeconk Watershed Plan
  • Mulhockaway Creek Watershed Restoration Plan
  • Neshanic River Watershed Restoration Plan
  • Papakating Creek Watershed Restoration Plan
  • Pleasant Run and Holland Brook Watershed Restoration Plan
  • Sidney Brook Protection Plan
  • Sourland Mountain Watershed Plan
  • Tenakill Brook Watershed Restoration
  • Troy Brook Watershed Plan
  • Upper Cohansey River Watershed Plan
  • Upper Salem River Watershed Plan

Designated use impairments caused by a parameter associated with NPS pollution that is addressed under one of these approved WBPs are identified on Subpart 5R of the 2014 Integrated List. Subpart 5R identifies use impairment caused primarily by NPS pollution or stormwater runoff that is not regulated under the federal CWA and is most effectively addressed through source controls rather than TMDLs. Watershed restoration plans, including 319(h) funded WBPs, can be an effective alternative to a formal TMDL to characterize pollutant sources, the reductions needed to attain standards, and the means to achieve the reductions. Technical guidance and related documents are available under Technical Support Documents.

   
For more information, please contact Kimberly Cenno, Bureau Chief,
Bureau of Environmental Analysis, Restoration and Standards at (609) 633-1441.

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