January 14, 2019

Brick Utilities Completes Stormwater Workshop Series

by S-FX.com

rain barrel workshop

Brick Township Municipal Utilities Authority (Brick Utilities) has announced completion of their public education project, which focused on protecting the Barnegat Bay and Metedeconk River.  The project, Greening Your Landscape While Protecting the Watershed, involved a series of educational workshops about using rain barrels and rain gardens to reduce stormwater runoff and nonpoint source pollution. The Barnegat Bay Partnership provided partial funding for the project through its Communication and Education Grant Program.

Stormwater has been identified as one of the primary water quality threats to the Barnegat Bay and the Metedeconk River. It picks up nonpoint source pollutants, such as lawn chemicals and litter, while running over the landscape, roads, parking lots and driveways. By capturing stormwater in rain barrels and rain gardens, less runoff and nonpoint source pollution reach our local rivers, streams, lakes and the bay.

Between August 2017 and October 2018, Brick Utilities offered three rain barrel workshops and one rain garden workshop.  All of the workshops were free for participants.  Presentations were given at the beginning of each program about the benefits rain barrels and rain gardens have in reducing stormwater runoff’s effect on local water resources as well as other benefits they provide. Hands-on experiences were given to each participant on how to build and install these measures around their homes and businesses.

BTMUA 8 26 17 Rain Barrel Workshop 003 Scaled
Rain barrel workshop at Ocean County Park.

Brick Utilities conducted the rain barrel workshops at Ocean County Park in Lakewood and Windward Beach in Brick. After learning about the benefits of harvesting rain water to prevent stormwater runoff and to reuse in their landscape, attendees learned how to build a rain barrel and were able to take one home.  All materials for construction were provided, as was a demonstration on how to install it. One rain barrel can capture about 1,400 gallons of water from April through October. The 75 rain barrels built in the three workshops can prevent up to 105,000 gallons of polluted stormwater from entering the Metedeconk River and Barnegat Bay.

Participants in the rain garden workshop learned how they could create beautiful habitats for wildlife within their landscapes with native plants, while trapping litter, debris, sediment and contaminants carried by stormwater runoff. Everyone learned how native plants and microbes in the soil break down and use pollutants in stormwater. This treated water slowly soaks into the soil, recharging groundwater supplies. Participants were introduced to the Jersey-Friendly Yards website as a helpful tool for water conservation and natural landscaping practices they can use around their homes to improve water quality. The workshop was held at Brick Utilities offices, where a demonstration rain garden was built in various stages of completion so participants could see first-hand how one is constructed.

This project supports efforts by Brick Utilities and Barnegat Bay Partnership to implement the Metedeconk River Watershed Protection and Restoration Plan.  Completed in 2013, the plan aims to preserve the Metedeconk River as an important water supply for the region, protect and improve the health of the Barnegat Bay estuary, and address water quality impairments. The plan identifies stormwater runoff as the main threat to the Metedeconk River.

The Brick Utilities workshops drew attendees from numerous shore towns including Brick, Lakewood, Jackson, Toms River, and Point Pleasant Beach.  Partner organizations for the project included the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, Township of Brick, Ocean County Department of Parks and Recreation, and Boating Education and Rescue (B.E.A.R.).

 

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UNKNOWN

There is limited data available to quantify Wetland and Riparian Buffer Preservation, or updated data to quantify Wetland Acreage. The BBP has obtained funding and will begin assessment efforts for both targets, in the next few years.

 

 Hard Clam abundance has not been updated since 2012. Recovery of the stock will be guided by the Fishery Management Plan for Hard Clams, which is under development with the NJDEP, BBP, and other organizations. Reclam the Bay and other partners have continued to plant clams for restoration purposes. Continued plantings in strategic locations which maximize survival and reproduction is one strategy to pursue in the coming years. This work can use a model developed by Rutgers with BBP funding which identified areas where planted clams could have the greatest dispersal of their larvae and thus potentially maximally contribute to the recovery of the stock.

 Water Withdrawals were over the target in the 2021 report; USGS has not yet completed its latest update, so a definitive determination of status is not available. However, additional NJDEP data show that it is likely that we continue to not meet the target. Per capita water use has gone down, demonstrating the effectiveness of water-saving appliances and practices, but that decrease has been offset by population gains. 


IN PROGRESS

New maps quantifying Submerged Aquatic Vegetation extent were developed, but poor image clarity resulted in a high degree of uncertainty in the total acreage. NJDEP and Rutgers are working to resolve the uncertainty of these maps, and improve the total acreage estimate. Funding has also been obtained for further research and restoration activities. Several groups are developing potential restoration actions.

The USGS has completed the first phase of its study to identify minimum ecological flows in select Barnegat Bay tributaries. USGS scientists compared streamflow statistics between historical and current time periods to better understand trends in watershed flow conditions. This work provides a foundation for developing ecological flow targets in the Barnegat Bay watershed.  Similar to SAV extent, funding (approximately $450K) has been obtained by the BBP to complete the remaining phases necessary for threshold determination.

 

TARGETS ACHIEVED

No targets can be considered “Achieved” at this time.

 

NOT ACHIEVING

Several Public Swimming Beaches exceeded their safe swimming standards more frequently than during their baseline time period (2016-2018).

While most beaches are routinely safe for swimming, several problematic areas such as Beachwood, Hancock, Windward, and several lake beaches need track-down studies and restoration to pinpoint and address sources of bacteria.

Acres of Approved Shellfish Waters decreased from the last report. While this decrease was small, it represents a loss of previously approved waters. Similar to public beaches, track-down studies and restoration work are needed to pinpoint and address sources of bacteria.

 

Brick Utilities Completes Stormwater Workshop Series

Brick Township Municipal Utilities Authority (Brick Utilities) has announced completion of their public education project, which focused on protecting the Barnegat Bay and Metedeconk River.  The project, Greening Your Landscape While Protecting the Watershed, involved a series of educational workshops about using rain barrels and rain gardens to reduce stormwater runoff and nonpoint source pollution. The Barnegat Bay Partnership provided partial funding for the project through its Communication and Education Grant Program.

Stormwater has been identified as one of the primary water quality threats to the Barnegat Bay and the Metedeconk River. It picks up nonpoint source pollutants, such as lawn chemicals and litter, while running over the landscape, roads, parking lots and driveways. By capturing stormwater in rain barrels and rain gardens, less runoff and nonpoint source pollution reach our local rivers, streams, lakes and the bay.

Between August 2017 and October 2018, Brick Utilities offered three rain barrel workshops and one rain garden workshop.  All of the workshops were free for participants.  Presentations were given at the beginning of each program about the benefits rain barrels and rain gardens have in reducing stormwater runoff’s effect on local water resources as well as other benefits they provide. Hands-on experiences were given to each participant on how to build and install these measures around their homes and businesses.

BTMUA 8 26 17 Rain Barrel Workshop 003 Scaled
Rain barrel workshop at Ocean County Park.

Brick Utilities conducted the rain barrel workshops at Ocean County Park in Lakewood and Windward Beach in Brick. After learning about the benefits of harvesting rain water to prevent stormwater runoff and to reuse in their landscape, attendees learned how to build a rain barrel and were able to take one home.  All materials for construction were provided, as was a demonstration on how to install it. One rain barrel can capture about 1,400 gallons of water from April through October. The 75 rain barrels built in the three workshops can prevent up to 105,000 gallons of polluted stormwater from entering the Metedeconk River and Barnegat Bay.

Participants in the rain garden workshop learned how they could create beautiful habitats for wildlife within their landscapes with native plants, while trapping litter, debris, sediment and contaminants carried by stormwater runoff. Everyone learned how native plants and microbes in the soil break down and use pollutants in stormwater. This treated water slowly soaks into the soil, recharging groundwater supplies. Participants were introduced to the Jersey-Friendly Yards website as a helpful tool for water conservation and natural landscaping practices they can use around their homes to improve water quality. The workshop was held at Brick Utilities offices, where a demonstration rain garden was built in various stages of completion so participants could see first-hand how one is constructed.

This project supports efforts by Brick Utilities and Barnegat Bay Partnership to implement the Metedeconk River Watershed Protection and Restoration Plan.  Completed in 2013, the plan aims to preserve the Metedeconk River as an important water supply for the region, protect and improve the health of the Barnegat Bay estuary, and address water quality impairments. The plan identifies stormwater runoff as the main threat to the Metedeconk River.

The Brick Utilities workshops drew attendees from numerous shore towns including Brick, Lakewood, Jackson, Toms River, and Point Pleasant Beach.  Partner organizations for the project included the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, Township of Brick, Ocean County Department of Parks and Recreation, and Boating Education and Rescue (B.E.A.R.).

 

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rain barrel workshop