Characterizing agricultural lands in a coastal watershed for a regional stormwater management plan Cara Muscio, Marine Agent Bill Sciariappa and Brian Hulme Rutgers Cooperative Research & Extension

Our Mission Integrating teaching, research, and outreach to anticipate and respond to issues and challenges in agriculture, food systems, environment and natural resources, and human and community health and development, in order to empower people to improve their lives, the lives of others, and the environments on which they depend. Who We Are A partnership between Rutgers University and NJ Counties Operating through The New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station

New Jersey Watersheds NJ is separated into 21 Watershed Management Areas (WMA) The Wreck Pond Brook Watershed is in WMA-12 in Coastal Monmouth County The watershed is about 12 square miles, and contains parts of 4 municipalities: Wall Township, Spring Lake, Spring Lake Heights, and Sea Girt. It has about 1000 acres of farmland, And 500 acres of parks and rec. land

Map

The Big Issue Water quality degradation of Wreck Pond Bacteria levels at local beaches are impacted by Wreck Pond stormwater discharge

Take normal data, add water…

Governors 2005 Coastal Initiative FIX IT!!!!

Steps toward a solution Formation of the Wreck Pond Brook Regional Stormwater Management Committee Characterizing the watershed: identifying and investigating potential problems Writing a regional stormwater management plan, choosing and implementing Best Management Plan Projects

Committee Partners Monmouth County (MC) Planning Board, Lead Planning Agency Township of Wall, Boroughs of Spring Lake Heights, Spring Lake, and Sea Girt NJ Department of Agriculture State Soil Conservation Committee Erosion Control Bureau NJ Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) Bureau of Watershed Regulation NJDEP Bureau of Engineering and Construction South Monmouth Regional Sewerage Authority (SMRSA) MC Mosquito Extermination Commission Freehold Soil Conservation District Monmouth University U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Wreck Pond Watershed Association Spring Lake Golf Club Fairway Mews Golf Course MC Health Department MC Engineering Department MC Planning Board Engineering Section MC GIS Management Office Rutgers Cooperative Research and Extension Najarian Associates NJDEP Watershed Ambassador, WMA-12

Characterizing Agriculture

RCRE Agricultural Lands Assessment Identification of farms within the watershed Characterization of farm land and practices Monitoring and determination of water quality issues and impact Planning Best Management Practices and demonstrations Education and Outreach

GIS Work Assess land character Check land use/land cover

Results of GIS Work Compiled Landowner Information –114 Agricultural parcels on 1997 LULC, Wreck pond watershed 55 parcels within 500 feet of a Wreck Pond water body Further inspection shows land use changes –95 Qualified Farms Tax assessed 2000, 1997 ALL of Wall Twp Reduced to 86 Owners in 2005 all of Wall 49 owners within 500 feet of a Wreck Pond water body (2000)

Survey Mailed to 49 owners Post office returned 3 Owners returned 19 Called 14 more to follow up Got 1 more response For a total of 20 responses Or 43% response rate

Survey Results Most owners farm between 5-20 acres Use totals over 100%, growing multiple commodities Most owners grew some vegetable/grain crops Only 2 owners used manure as a nutrient addition Total of 30% had manure on their properties

Domestic Animals 22% of owners 220 animals One didnt specify

Water Quality Monitoring RSWMP conducting: Fecal Coliform sampling Bacterial Source Tracking Weather Station Monitoring How can RCRE help?

Nutrients and water quality A YSI 6600 is used to collect: Water Temperature, F/C pH, std. Conductivity, us/cm Dissolved Oxygen, mg/L Nitrate, mg/L Turbidity, NTU Chlorophyll, ug/L A Hach Pocket CalorimeterII Is used to collect: orthophosphate, mg/L Total Phosphorus, mg/L

Baseline Water Quality Data*

Nitrate concentrations Precipitation: 4 inches in Nov. on waterlogged soils

Phosphate Concentrations

Macroinvertebrate Sampling Sampled June 29, 2006 Continued sampling July and August Longer term snapshot of water quality Sensitive vs. tolerant bugs

A simple analysis

Phase Two Work Farm tours with identified landowners Wet weather and expanded sampling Demonstration Projects and BMPs Education and Outreach for farmers and general public Connecting the dots…

Take Home… At least 23 organizations of all varieties are donating time, effort, supplies, and staff to the RSWMP The collected body of data will allow for a much more in-depth characterization of the watershed In this era of tight to no funding: Partnerships which utilize the strengths of each organization can help get important work done more comprehensively Stay tuned….

Acknowledgements Bill Sciarappa and Brian Hulme, RCRE of Monmouth County Tom Kellers, Chair, Wreck Pond RSWMP The RSWMP Committee Monmouth County GIS

Questions or comments? Ocean County RCRE Web Site: