Preventing Stormwater Pollution
Stormwater runoff has been identified
as the leading threat to the water quality
in the Barnegat Bay. As populations and
development continues to increase within
our coastal communities, more contaminants find their way into the Bay, impacting
our coastal quality of life.
Over 500,000 people live within the
Barnegat Bay watershed, which includes
nearly all of Ocean County. That population doubles in the summer as people flock
to the shore from nearby Philadelphia,
New York, and other parts of New Jersey.
The continued economic health of the
Barnegat Bay watershed is dependent on
the continued health and natural beauty of
its waters.
When it rains or snow melts, the
“stormwater”
runoff flows over
lawns and streets
into the collection
system of inlets
and culverts into
creeks, lakes and
streams on its way
to its final destination, the Barnegat Bay. Along the way, it
picks up contaminants such as fertilizers,
sediment, pet waste and oils, toxic metals,
etc., which end up in the waters that we
use for swimming, drinking and fishing.
Ocean County is working with Federal,
State, and regional agencies and its towns
to reduce the amount of polluted runoff.
The NJDEP Municipal Stormwater Management Rules mandate towns to develop
plans and implement certain pollution prevention procedures. The County assists its
municipalities with plan review, funding,
and professional guidance.
The County has implemented a number of
stormwater pollution prevention initiatives:
The runoff that does not infiltrate back
into the ground eventually ends up in the
stormwater system. Inlets and outfalls can
become clogged with trash and sediment,
further polluting the runoff. The County has
a number of programs that remove contaminants where they accumulate within the
stormwater system.
Identifying Stormwater Facility Locations
Using GPS, the County
currently locates all its inlets,
outfalls and stormwater facilities so that they can be numbered, labeled, and inspected.
The outfalls are inspected for
sedimentation, debris and illicit connections and discharges.
Suspicious
discharges are traced back to
the source and persons responsible.
Storm drains are labeled “Only Rain in the
Drain - Flows to Barnegat
Bay”.
Jet/Vac Maintenance Program
The County is mandated under
the NJ Stormwater Rules to clean
its inlets of sediments and debris.
The County owns approximately
10,000 inlets on its roadways and
an average 2,200 inlets are vacuumed out with its seven Jet/Vac
trucks each year.
In 2006, about 3,700 tons of
debris were taken to the Ocean
County landfill for disposal.
Rain Gardens / Stormwater Basin Retrofit Project
Ideally, rain water should recharge into the soil and groundwater. Residential developments and many non-residential properties typically have a centralized collection system called a
“detention basin”, which captures stormwater runoff so that it can
infiltrate back into the soil and groundwater. Unfortunately, many
of these facilities are not operating effectively because of compaction of the soil during construction.
Through an NJDEP grant, the County is partnering with the
Soil Conservation District to restore these impaired basins and create attractive and efficient “Rain Gardens”. The soil is loosened to
reverse the compaction and mixed with compost to increase the organic matter in the soil. The
basin is then planted with wet-tolerant native trees and plants and will eventually revert to an attractive natural state through succession.
To date, fifteen stormwater basins have successfully been restored or are near completion. The County Engineering Department has incorporated recommendations into the Supplemental
Specifications for stormwater basin construction.
The County and the Soil Conservation District have developed
training and workshops on this pilot project, which were funded in
part by the Barnegat Bay National Estuary Program.
The goal is to develop guidelines for planning, design and construction that would prevent compaction and the need for future
restoration. Healthy soils are an important part of managing stormwater and maintaining water
resources in the Barnegat Bay Watershed and Estuary.
Vehicle Wash
Street Sweeps
The County is constructing two vehicle
wash systems, the first at the County
Garage facility in Toms River and the second at the County Garage in
Stafford Township.
These
wash systems will service the
larger County vehicles and
will filter and recycle the used
wash water.
The County uses street-sweepers to
sweep and collect debris from County
roads. This prevents the material from entering the storm sewer system. Seventeen
street-sweepers are currently in operation,
which are each responsible for a section of
the 621 miles of County roads. Contents of
the sweepers are collected, screened and
taken to the County Landfill for
proper disposal.
This will prevent the pollutants from entering into the
stormwater system. These facilities are expected to finish
construction by the end of
2008.
In 2006 alone,
1,740 cubic yards of
trash were removed from County
roadsides.
Trapping Sediments and Suspended Solids
The County has designed and retrofitted inlets with new castings with maximum
2” openings that trap
floatables and other debris. Each new road will
be constructed with the
new inlet design.
In critical locations where pollutant
loads are high, the County has installed different types of systems to catch debris. A
number of hydrodynamic units were installed below the inlet grates. These massive units use centrifugal force to filter out
and remove suspended solids. More units
are planned to be installed throughout the
County in areas important for intercepting
stormwater
pollution before it enters the Bay.
What You can Do to Help
Create a Rain Garden on your property
A rain garden for your home is designed to capture the runoff from your roof,
driveway and property. This will help
recharge
rainfall and
prevent
runoff.
The garPhoto credit: Rutgers Coop. Ext. NJAES
den should
be
constructed in a low area of the yard. It is
bowl-shaped, rather than bermed, and
planted with native plant species. There is
much information available on the internet, including planting plans. For more information, start with the Rutgers NJAES:
http://njaes.rutgers.edu or the Native Plant
Society of New Jersey: www.npsnj.org.
What You can Do to Help
What You can Do to Help
Pet and Animal Waste
Maintaining Your Car
Bacteria and pathogens
from pet, farm and waterfowl
waste can end up in swimming
areas. This health hazard often
causes beach closures.
Always pick up after your
pet. Waste should be disposed
of in the trash or toilet, never in storm drains.
Fertilizers and Pesticides
Fertilizers and pesticides used in lawns
and gardens are a significant source of
water pollution. Over-use of these chemicals can be dangerous to human health if
they find their way into the groundwater
and drinking supply.
Fertilizers stimulate the growth of
algae. When the algae die and decompose, this depletes the supply of oxygen for
fish and other organisms, a process called
“eutrophication”. Always test the pH of
your soil before applying fertilizers to optimize uptake by plants
and prevent leaching into groundwater.
Use non-polluting alternatives
to fertilizers, such as compost and
natural organic fertilizers.
Best practices for pesticide use include
spot-treating problem areas, using biological pest control, such as beneficial insects,
and planting companion plants such as
marigolds. For more detailed information,
search the Rutgers NJAES website.
Automotive products containing toxic
chemicals include motor oil, gasoline, battery acid, antifreeze, etc. Used motor oil is
contaminated with heavy metals, lead and
chemical additives. Antifreeze is also very
toxic and can be fatal when ingested. Pets,
children and wildlife are attracted to spilled
antifreeze because of its sweet taste.
These chemicals are regulated as hazardous wastes in NJ and must be brought to
a County recycling center or a participating service station.
You can help by
maintaining your vehicle to prevent leaks,
washing your car only
when necessary and
when possible, use a
car wash that recycles
its water. Never dispose of any hazardous
materials in storm or home drains.
Clean boat bottoms ashore, where all
debris can be contained and cleaned up.
Put your garbage in bags and dispose of
them properly on land.
Photos were provided by the Ocean County Engineering Dept.
unless otherwise labeled or from public domain. Cover photo is
a close-up of a restored rain garden stormwater basin.
Program Partners
The Ocean County Board
of Chosen Freeholders
Trash and Cigarettes
You can help by disposing cigarette butts and other trash properly in
waste receptacles. Never throw anything out of your car or boat. Do not
empty ash trays in parking lots, roads,
or waterways. Nothing should ever
be dumped into a storm drain.
Preventing
Stormwater
Pollution
in
Ocean County
Ocean County Department of Planning
PO Box 2191
Toms River, NJ 08754-2191
732-929-2054
www.planning.co.ocean.nj.us
September 2007
John C. Bartlett, Jr.
John P. Kelly
James F. Lacey
Gerry P. Little
Joseph H. Vicari