The Crown Jewel of the Jersey Shore

The Barnegat Bay

The Barnegat Bay estuarine system is 75 square miles and includes the Barnegat Bay, Manahawkin Bay, and Little Egg Harbor.

Connection to the Community:

The watershed encompasses most of the 33 municipalities in Ocean County, NJ; 4 in Monmouth County, NJ; and 1 in Burlington County, NJ.
Over 600 square miles of land drain into the Barnegat Bay.
Over 560,000 people live within the Barnegat Bay watershed. The population doubles int he summer as people flock to the shore. Ocean County is the second fastest growing county in NJ.

Barnegat Bay Watershed Restoration Projects

The Barnegat Bay estuarine system is 75 square miles and includes barnegat bay, manahawkin bay, and little egg harbor

The watershed encompasses most of the 33 municipalities in Ocean County, NJ; 4 in Monmouth County, NJ; and 1 in Burlington County, NJ.

The watershed is comprised of 600 square miles of land areas that drain into 11 rivers and streams that empty into the system.

Over 560,000 people live in the Barnegat Bay watershed.

The Economic Value of Barnegat Bay

Barnegat Bay is not only an ecological treasure but also an economic powerhouse, contributing over $4 billion annually to New Jersey’s economy. Its wetlands and forests provide $2.3 billion in essential ecosystem services like flood control and water filtration, while supporting 55,000 jobs with $2 billion in wages. Protecting this natural asset is critical for ensuring the prosperity and sustainability of the region.

How Can I Help the Bay Every Day?

Understanding Our Watershed

A watershed is an area of land that separates waters flowing into different rivers.

New Jersey has five watershed regions, and 18 Watershed Managment Areas.

The Barnegat Bay’s watershed extends into the Pine Barrens in the west, and includes the Toms River, Wrangel Brook, Cedar Creek, Mill Creek, and Westecunk Creek. Anything that ends up on the land surrounding these rivers; including fertilizer, pesticides, and trash, will flow into the Barnegat Bay.

Get to Know Your Watershed

A Brief History of the Bay

1609

Henry Hudson sailed upon the Barnegat Bay, naming it “Barende-gut” (Dutch for inlet with breakers).

1880s-1890s

People started using the Barnegat Bay region as a destination for leisure and a “summer playground”. Development began to affect the futures of shore residents, from the baymen and others making a livelihood off the natural resources and entrepreneurs catering to an emerging summer clientele.

1926

Development of the Point Pleasant Canal opened the upper bay and Metedeconk River to tidal exchange. As freshwater habitats (cranberry bogs, for example) were inundated with tidal brackish water, the bay began to convert to estuarine habitat. This led to changes in traditional fishing and hunting practices and a decline in freshwater fish and species.

1950s

The introduction of the Garden State Parkway opened access for an influx of people into the area.

1969

Oyster Creek Nuclear Generating Station began using the bay’s water to cool it’s reactors, pouring warm refuse water back into the Bay.

1980

The establishment of the NJ Pinelands Commission and designation of the Pinelands National Reserve allocated funds to acquire and protect critically important ecological areas including the lands surrounding the Barnegat Bay.

1980s-90s

A tremendous increase in the number of people living in Ocean County was beginning to have a dramatic impact on the landscape, ecology, and resources of the bay as shellfish and other species population begin to decline.

1997

The Barnegat Bay Partnership- a partnership between federal, state, municipal, academic, business and private organizations- was established to help restore, protect, and enhance the water quality and natural resources of the Barnegat Bay watershed.

Economy & Environment

The Barnegat Bay supports one of the most valuable economies of any estuary in the nation. It is an ecological treasure that supports a diverse $4 billion per year economy based on good jobs in tourism, fishing, recreation, industry, health care, and water resources

The bay is home to a wide variety of fish, birds, and other wildlife. Estuaries are incredibly diverse ecosystems, and the bay is no exception. Estuaries also protect inland areas from storm surge inundation and act as a filter for pollutants entering other waterways. This unique nursery habitat continually provides value to not only the wildlife relying on it for survival, but for the people living in surrounding communities.