Storm Water Information

What is Storm Water?  

Stormwater is water from rain and melting snow that flows over lawns, parking lots and streets becoming runoff. This water works its way back into our local waterways and eventually will end up in the Atlantic Ocean.  Along with the water, anything such as litter, oil, and/or fertilizer will also end up in our waterways. 

In 2004, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection established new stormwater rules that address water quality and the impacts associated with existing and future stormwater discharges.  A part of this regulation pertains to new construction and set   required components to help protect our water quality.  Details of all the new regulations can be found in the Department of Environmental Storm   Water Management Rules. The website for the NJDEP is www.nj.gov/dep/watershedmgt/stormwater.

What is a Watershed?

A watershed is the area of land that drains into a body of water such as our local streams, rivers and lakes. It is separated from other systems by high points in the area such as hills or slopes. It includes not only the waterway but also the land area that drains into it. 

Complications from our actions can affect our watersheds. Changing the way storm water flows, littering, oil or other vehicle fluids from parking lots, using too much fertilizer or fertilizer containing phosphorus can critically affect a watershed.  It is important to practice pollution prevention to help eliminate the damage being done to our watershed. 

What is Ground Water

It is very simple, if rainwater soaks into the ground, it is ground water.  Ground water moves into water-filled layers of porous geologic formations called aquifers. Aquifers are not flowing underground streams or lakes.  Aquifers can range from a few feet below the surface to several hundred feet underground.  A system of more than 100 aquifers is scattered throughout New Jersey covering 7,500 square miles.

Ground water is the primary drinking water source for half of New Jersey’s population. Most of the water is obtained from individual domestic water or public water supplies which tap into aquifers.

Stormwater Sewers

Stormwater flows into the system through a storm drain. These are located along the curb line of roadways and parking lots.  The grate that prevents larger objects from flowing into the storm drain is called a catch basin.  Once water is in the drain, it flows through pipes to local streams, rivers and lakes.  In most areas of New Jersey, the stormwater goes directly to our local waterways without any treatment. 

Much of the debris and other pollutants such as salt that have settled on the    surface and in the stormwater sewer are picked up and carried to the local waterways during a rainstorm.  This adds to the water quality problems and it is important to protect the stormwater system from this debris. 

The following should NEVER be dumped down storm drains. Motor oil, pet waste, grass trimmings, leaves, hazardous chemicals or any other type of debris.  Storm drains are made for water only.  

Storm Drain Labeling

Soon you will begin seeing labels on the storm drains in your area.  The new storm drain labeling requirements from the New Jersey Department of Environmental   Protection’s municipal stormwater permitting program requires the Township to label all of our storm drains to make people more aware of non-point source pollution,  polluted run-off and the connection between the storm drains and our local waterways. 

The storm drain labeling program in Roxbury will be run in conjunction with the Clean  Communities Program.  The Roxbury Clean Communities program promotes litter abatement and awareness, along with sponsoring local clean ups, educational programs for our schools and other functions.

What is Non-Point Source Pollution?

Non-point source pollution comes from many sources. Non-point source pollution is caused by rainfall or snowmelt moving over the ground. As the water moves, it picks up natural and man-made pollutants depositing them into storm drains which lead to our lakes, rivers, wetlands, coastal waters and even our underground sources of drinking water.  Some of the pollutants include excess fertilizers, herbicides and insecticides, oil, grease, and toxic chemicals, salt, bacteria from livestock, pet wastes and faulty septic systems.

Some states report that non-point source pollution is the leading cause of water quality problems. The total effects may not always be fully assessed however, we do know that pollutants have harmful effects on our drinking water, recreation, fisheries, and wildlife.

We can all work together and prevent non-point source pollution by changing some everyday habits.  

Water Conservation

Why Save Water?

Besides saving money, water conservation can help prevent pollution. Using less water reduces run-off and leaves more water in streams or lakes, which protects existing ecosystems such as wetlands and water supplies.  Reduced water usage may extend the life of existing sewage treatment plants and can eliminate the need for new water         supplies which are expensive to locate and build.

How Much Water Are We Using?

The average American uses 60 gallons of water a day.  That does not include car washing, lawn watering and other outdoor uses.  Flushing the toilet, bathing and washing clothes are the largest uses of water in the home.

Conservation Measures

Check faucets, hoses, and toilets for leaks. Turn off hoses and connecting faucets when not in use. This will also preserve equipment and avoid leaks.  Inspect your water pipes periodically for pinhole leaks and leaks in connections. Repair leaks as soon as possible. Don’t over fill the bathtub. Take shorter showers. Install water saving toilets and shower heads. Don’t let the water run when brushing your teeth or shaving. Keep a BPA safe bottle of drinking water in the   refrigerator so you don’t need to run the tap water for cold water.

Things You Can Do to Keep Water Clean

• Never throw anything  down storm drains.
• Don’t Litter.
• Obey your town's “Pooper Scooper” Law.
• Pre-cycle. Buy products with the least amount of packaging available.
• Recycle. Call the Recycling Department for a list of the required recyclables and for further information.
• Conserve water. Don’t let the water run when you are brushing your teeth, shorten the length of your showers and repair any leaking faucets.
• Try natural organics instead of fertilizers that contain phosphorus.

Activity	Water used
Shower	15-30 gallons (57-114 liters)
Brushing teeth (water running)	1-2 gallons (3.75-7.51 liters)
Shaving (water running)	10-15 gallons (38-57 liters)
Washing dishes by hand	20 gallons (75 liters)
Washing dishes in dishwasher	9-12 gallons (34-45 liters)
Flushing toilet	5-7 gallons (19-26 liters)

Some of the information has been  provided by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection,  the Passaic River Coalition and the United States Environmental Protection Agency.

New Jersey to Take Lead in Offshore Wind Energy?

Energy | August 23, 2010 | by Ecopolitology - by Timothy B. Hurst

  As the proposed Cape Wind offshore wind farm in Massachusetts fends off some last ditch legal challenges to become the first offshore wind farm in the U.S., New Jersey yesterday passed a law that would ultimately make it the leading provider of offshore wind energy in the country.

The Offshore Wind Economic Development Act directs the state’s Board of Public Utilities (BPU) to establish an offshore renewable energy certificate program that calls for a percentage of electricity sold in the state to be from offshore wind energy. The act would support the development of at least 1,100 megawatts of offshore wind energy capacity.

The bill was signed into law yesterday by Gov. Chris Christie yesterday at a former BP port facility that will be transformed into a regional hub for the offshore wind industry.

"Developing New Jersey’s renewable energy resources and industry is critical to our state’s manufacturing and technology future," Christie said.

The package will offer incentives including financial aid and tax credits to attract wind energy developers to the state’s waters.

Two offshore wind development companies, Fishermen’s Energy and Deepwater Wind, already have plans to develop offshore wind energy off the coast of New Jersey.

A report released last year by the Interior Department said shallow-water offshore wind farms could supply as much as 20 percent of the electricity in most coastal states.

Reprinted with permission from Ecopolitology

Don't Poison Your Kid's Lunch

by G. Hollbrook

Garden State Green

It's fast, it's easy and it's cheap.  Lunch meat, cold cuts, deli meats anyway you slice it, you need to pay attention.  The information below will explain why it's important to go organic or at least nearly organic.  The cost in dollars is higher, but if you go with your typical Shoprite, Acme lunch meat your most likely going to pay with your kids' health later on.  One of the most common culprits in cold cuts are nitrates.  There are definitely more, but this is enough information to have you start reaching for that Applegate Farms package of cold cuts.  The Succasunna Shoprite sells them, they are located near the deli counter.  You can also get this brand at the Whole Foods in Madison.  It's the brand they use at their deli counter so the varieties available are more plentiful. 

Nitrate

In the chemical families: Inorganic salts, Nitrate compounds

Nitrates are nitrogen-oxygen compounds released into the environment from the widespread use of nitrogen-based fertilizers, human sewage and animal manure. High nitrate levels in well water can cause the sometimes-fatal “blue baby” syndrome in infants, impairing the blood’s capacity to carry oxygen. Over years, adults consuming excess nitrates can suffer kidney and spleen damage.  According to the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, nitrates can react with the body’s amino acids to form nitrosamines, linked to cancer in test animal studies. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency sets a limit of 10 parts per million for nitrates in drinking water.

In estuaries, nitrates cause algae blooms that quickly deplete the water of oxygen and create “dead zones,” killing bottom-dwelling organisms such as shellfish and crabs and fish that cannot escape the area. In January 2008, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) reported that two-thirds of the nitrogen causing the 8,000-square-mile Dead Zone in the Gulf of Mexico came from fertilizer runoff from farms along the Mississippi River. Application of nitrogen-based fertilizers also leads to emissions of nitrous oxide, a greenhouse gas that has 300 times the global warming potential of carbon dioxide.

The Environmental Working Group has been in the forefront of the effort to reform agriculture policies, advance conservation and curb the pollution that is killing the Gulf. In a 2006 report, Dead in the Water, EWG concluded that farms encompassing just 15% of the land in the Mississippi River Basin are responsible for 80% of the spring surge of nitrates feeding the Dead Zone; in the areas where nitrate runoff is worst, the study found, the U.S is spending just $1 on water quality for every $500 in crop subsidies. In a 2007 report, Trouble Downstream, EWG recommended that farmers who benefit from taxpayer support be required to show tangible progress in reducing soil erosion and nitrate runoff.

In a 2008 analysis, The Unintended Environmental Impacts of the Renewable Fuel Standard, EWG concluded that increased corn cultivation to make biofuel would accelerate soil erosion, intensify use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides and aggravate nitrate runoff into the fragile Gulf. Also, EWG said, expanding corn farming would heighten demand for water for irrigation, stressing underground water sources, and degrade shrinking wildlife habitat.