Sustaining the Raritan River Watershed 8 th Annual Sustainable Raritan River Conference June 10, 2016 Rick Lathrop Department of Ecology, Evolution & Natural Resources
Rutgers School of Environmental and Biological Science and the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy launched the Sustainable Raritan River Initiative in 2009 in a collaboration for science informing planning informing policy. In Fall 2015 Jeanne Herb: EJB co-leader Rick Lathrop: SEBS co-leader Sara Malone: Program Assoc.
SRRI Action Plan (2009) Five Key areas of the Action Plan: Hazardous Site and Sediment Cleanup Improvements to Water Quality, Stormwater, and Infrastructure Stewardship of the Raritan River Basin Upgrade Public Access and Recreation Balancing Redevelopment and Restoration
Raritan Basin Watershed Management Plan (1999-2002): Actions for moving forward Protection and preservation of critical watershed lands and headwater streams Maintenance and restoration of ground water recharge Improved control of stormwater Management of water supply resources Restoration of streams and riparian areas Restoration and protection of ground & surface waters
The first priority of the Raritan Project was to characterize and assess the watersheds within the Basin to determine the current status of the environment, and how that status compares to community goals and to adopted standards in New Jersey. The characterization and assessment process determined a baseline condition (as of 1995) for the Raritan Basin against which future degradation or improvement can be compared.
Raritan Basin Basin: Portrait of a Watershed (2002) Indicators: Land Use change Impervious Surface Wetlands Conversion Agricultural land & prime soil Groundwater recharge Contaminated Sites Bioassessment ratings Most of the indicators based on land use/land cover data as of 1995
So what is the state of the Raritan? An interim report. The population of the Raritan Basin is still growing. The Basin provides water to approximately 1.2-1.5 million people in central New Jersey
Land Use change in the Raritan Land Cover in Acres Using a Modified 6 category Anderson Classification Scheme 1986 1995 2002 2007 2012 Agriculture 174,056 148,738 126,451 117,912 113,102 Barren Land 12,930 9,780 9,836 7,859 6,949 Forest 187,141 188,024 185,955 177,940 178,847 Water 13,073 13,516 14,643 15,596 15,806 Urban 224,362 252,264 278,595 298,207 304,023 Wetlands 95,810 94,575 91,419 89,386 88,601 Impervious no data 77,197 85,342 89,482 91,082 Mean Annual Rate of Change in Acres 1986-1995 1995-2002 2002-2007 2007-2012 Agriculture -2,813-3,184-1,708-962 Barren Land -350 8-395 -182 Forest 98-296 -1,603 181 Water 49 161 191 42 Urban 3,100 3,762 3,922 1,163 Wetlands -137-451 -407-157 Impervious no data 1,164 828 320
4,500 3,500 3,762 3,922 3,100 Mean Annual Land Cover Changes for the Raritan Basin (acres) 1986-1995 1995-2002 2002-2007 2007-2012 2,500 1,500 1,163 500 8 98 181 49 161 191 42-500 -1,500-2,500-350 -395-182 -296-1,603-1,708-962 -137-451 -407-157 -3,500-2,813-3,184 Urban Agriculture Barren Land Forest Water Agriculture
Impervious Surface and Stormwater runoff: Exporting problems downstream
Headwater streams and riparian zones critical linkages between upland watershed and downstream aquatic ecosystems
Proposed Rutgers Raritan River Station
Legacy of past contamination 980 as of 2002 1,723 KCS as of 2016
Many residents in the more rural areas of the Raritan River Basin get their drinking water from groundwater wells.
Flooding The Raritan River and Delaware and Raritan Canal spilled into Route 18 in New Brunswick following excessive rainfall from Tropical Storm Floyd. (Image: John Hasse/Rutgers University Department of Geography)
What are we doing about it? Peapack Brook Streambank Restoration Raritan Headwaters NJWSA- NJAES Photo courtesy of Central Jersey Stream Team)
Next Steps for the SRRI: Science informing planning informing policy Short term: Build on this conference s momentum in drawing together the disparate elements of Rutgers University to advance research, education and outreach efforts. Complete a State of the Raritan River report to assess progress on the Raritan Basin Watershed Management Plan and the SRRI Action Plan. Develop a Rutgers Raritan River real-time hydrological observatory to enhance the basin s real-time monitoring capacity and serve as a testbed for new sensor technology.
Next Steps for the SRRI: Science informing planning informing policy Longer term: Forge a stronger identity for the Raritan here on campus, Central Jersey and across the state. Assess the degree to which our stormwater management, watershed land preservation and riparian restoration efforts are counterbalancing the continued intensification of human land use to reverse the trend towards declining water quality. In this highly coupled human-environmental system, examine linkages between watershed health and human health.
One man s fight to save the canal Back in 1933, The Pennsylvania Railroad, which had a 999-year lease on the Delaware & Raritan Canal, announced the company s intention to abandon the canal. Morgan Seiffert, a New Brunswick attorney and Rutgers College graduate, in researching the original canal company charter found that that if the canal was ever abandoned, the charter would be annulled and the canal and associated land would revert to the state of New Jersey. www.dandrcanal.com http://www.sia-web.org/ www.dandrcanal.com
One man s fight to save the canal In a subsequent legal case he coled, the Pennsylvania Railroad agreed not to contest the forfeiture and handed the canal over to the state in 1934 which subsequently turned it into a state park. Reflecting on the values of the D&R Canal 30 years later in 1965, People are beginning to realize the importance of our natural resources. They realize that our heavy industrialization and expanding population mean that added planning and money must be given to preserve the beauty of areas that we still have. --Morgan Seiffert