The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (Department) is currently compiling data for the New Jersey 2008 Integrated Water Quality Monitoring and Assessment Report (Integrated Report).
The 2008 Integrated Report will present the extent to which waters of the State are attaining designated uses pursuant to Section 305(b) of the federal Clean Water Act (Act) and will identify impaired waters that exceed surface water quality standards and require establishment of Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs), as required under Section 303(d) of the Act. The 2008 Integrated Report will also identify waters that were listed as impaired in the 303(d) List portion of the 2006 Integrated Report but are now attaining water quality standards. USEPA Guidance for the 2008 Integrated Report is available at: http://www.epa.gov/owow/tmdl/2008_ir_memorandum.html.
A public notice was published in the New Jersey Register on January 20, 2007 (see 39 N.J.R. 700 (a)) soliciting water quality-related data to use in the development of the 2008 Integrated Report. Data received through this solicitation may be used to assess use attainment and water quality impairment based on the New Jersey Surface Water Quality Standards. Assessment may result in confirmation of an existing impairment, refinement of the extent of an existing impairment, identification of a new impairment, or confirmation of new attainment/delisting of previously impaired waters.
Data packages, which include data collected through December 31, 2006, will be accepted until August 20, 2007 for the development of the 2008 Integrated Report. Data collected after December 31, 2006 and data packages submitted after August 20, 2007 may be considered for subsequent Integrated Reports and/or other Department assessments. More detailed information on data quality assurance and submittal of data packages is provided in the public notice.
The Draft 2008 Integrated Water Quality Monitoring and Assessment Methods Document (Methods Document) is now available for public review and comment. The Methods Document is intended to provide a description of the methodology used to develop the 2008 303(d) List of Impaired Waterbodies, a key component of the 2008 Integrated Report. A notice announcing the availability of the draft Methods Document for public review and comment was published in the New Jersey Register on July 2, 2007 (see 39 N.J.R. 2548(a)).
An informal question and answer session regarding the draft 2008 Methods Document will be held on Tuesday, July 24, 2007, 1:30 - 4:00 p.m. in the public hearing room at DEP Headquarters, 401 East State Street, first floor, Trenton, New Jersey, 08625. Click here for more information about this session. If you would like to be included on the Water Monitoring and Assessment Listserve to receive updates about our progress in developing the 2008 Integrated Report, please send your email address to Maryanne.Husar @ dep.state.nj.us.
For more information about the Integrated Report process, go to: http://www.state.nj.us/dep/wms/bwqsa/generalinfo.html.
To review previous reports, use the quick links provided on the left margin of this page.
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For additional information, contact:
Bureau of Water Quality Standards and Assessment
Water Monitoring and Standards
PO Box 409
Trenton, NJ 08625
(609) 777-1753
WAT @ dep.state.nj.us.
