Is New Jersey’s State Development & Redevelopment Plan the state’s Environmental Superpower?
By LRWP Board President Heather Fenyk, Ph.D., AICP/PP
New Jersey’s State Development and Redevelopment Plan – currently in cross-acceptance process across the state – is New Jersey’s first to recognize the importance of planning processes integrated at the watershed level. In the current political climate, the Lower Raritan Watershed Partnership sees the state plan as an excellent first step toward collaborative engagement around environmental protections for our forests, wetlands, waters and soils.
Within hours of returning to the oval office on January 20, 2025, President Trump unpacked the wrecking ball used during his first term to continue the process of dismantling US climate and environmental policies. With Executive Order “Unleashing America’s Energy,” Trump articulated an aggressive approach to encouraging energy exploration and production on Federal lands and waters, framing a new goal: to establish the US as the leading producer of nonfuel minerals. On February 25, the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ), part of the Executive Office of the President, published an “interim final” rule proposal in the Federal Register: “Removal of National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) Implementing Regulations.” Until now, under the coordination of the CEQ, NEPA has guided agencies responsible for oversight of federal transportation, energy and mining projects to consider: Is there a safer way? A smarter way? A way that doesn’t leave a mess for the next generation?
Rollback of these federal environmental laws is designed to put communities throughout the nation on the defensive. These federal actions pose a real threat to state and local efforts to limit planet-warming, asthma-inducing, carbon dioxide emissions. They make it harder for communities to effectively govern the pollutants discharged into local air, water and soils. And let’s not even talk about the impact of these rollbacks on ensuring protections for neighborhood forests and streams, or for the wetlands doing the lion’s share of holding stormwater during flood events, keeping it from entering our homes and streets.
Luckily in New Jersey, proactive thinking by the state Office of Planning Advocacy (OPA) and the State Planning Commission (SPC) means the state is well positioned for offense, not defense in terms of environmental protections. For the last several years these agencies have guided a series of public conversations around how to ensure safer, smarter planning and redevelopment in a way that is not only sensitive to environmental impacts, but also considers environmental restoration and enhancements, preserves special historic sites, and minimizes risks and hazards related to global climate change now and into the future. The result of these conversations is the Preliminary State Development and Redevelopment Plan (or Preliminary State Plan). Public Comment on NJ’s Preliminary State Plan is open until March 27, 2025, with public “Cross Acceptance” meetings scheduled in each County through the end of April.
Through the process of cross-acceptance, members of the public are invited to provide input into the Preliminary State Plan. This process helps bring attention to issues of local concern, and ensures that municipal, county, and regional initiatives are taken into consideration during the process. Final approval of the State Plan involves establishing regional agreements in areas of land use, transportation, housing, economic development and provision of public infrastructure. Strong collaborative planning efforts, like that offered through the State Plan Cross-Acceptance process, offer representation at multiple political scales. As a state-wide collaborative planning exercise, cross-acceptance facilitates local, county and state communication on development and redevelopment. More importantly, in Home Rule states like New Jersey, cross-acceptance helps facilitate planning collaboration across biophysical scales. Importantly in this regard, the 2024 Preliminary State Plan is New Jersey’s first to recognize the importance of planning processes integrated at the watershed level.
As an organization focused on watershed management, the Lower Raritan Watershed Partnership views New Jersey’s Preliminary State Plan as a step in the right direction. Is it perfect? Absolutely not. Do we think New Jersey’s State Plan should at the outset be organized around watershed-based resource planning and permitting? YES. Do we think all land management should begin by considering ecological functions, and that New Jersey’s State Plan should provide guidance on how to integrate county and municipal land use planning with information on the carrying capacity of our natural systems? YES. Should New Jersey’s State Plan be specific about impacts to hydrologic systems? YES. Should the plan provide more detail regarding the how-tos of restoration, and introduce concepts like re-naturing and rewilding to guide collaborative landscape management? YES and YES. All that said, in the current political climate does the LRWP see the state plan as an excellent first step toward collaborative engagement around environmental protections for our forests, wetlands, waters and soils? YES, Absolutely.
New Jersey’s Preliminary State Development & Redevelopment Plan may do more than help New Jersey’s municipalities and counties work collaboratively to protect our air, water, land and special historic sites, and to minimize risks and hazards related to global climate change now and into the future. If New Jersey adopts the State Plan in the face of environmental rollbacks designed to put states on the defensive with respect to federal actions, it will demonstrate the certain superpower of a collaboratively defined and collectively held vision of environmental protections for now and into the future.
The fox caught the tail end of the crow’s conversation with the bear and the weasel, so had just enough time to grow a thick fluffy tail. The fox does its best to survive in a snow-covered landscape along the South Branch.
“Leave no trace,” sage advice from the earliest people who lived entirely off the land, is still a useful reminder for those who spend time out of doors. Today the words are meant as an environmental caution to leave the outdoors better than when you found it. Allow the next visitor to experience the pristine woods, water and landscape as if they were the first, and not the last to arrive on the scene.
Many organizations, including the boy scouts, promote a list of ethical behaviors under the banner of, ‘leave no trace’, consistent with keeping wild areas preserved in a natural state, and free of overuse damage.
The original intent of those words was passed down as a credo by which to live in harmony with nature and avoid conflict and increase chances for survival.
Competition for food often involved violating neighboring territory. Any footprints, damaged brush or broken branches would reveal a hunter or warriors’ presence to their enemy. Likewise game animals are alerted by any physical changes or scent. A bare patch of ground among leaf litter, or a trail of footsteps across a dew drenched meadow, will turn a fox inside out and cause a deer to stop in its tracks. I walked into the woods, well before sunrise, during a fall bowhunt. Two hours later a red fox walked by, and when he crossed the path I took, it sniffed the ground and ran off at full speed.
A broken branch is a visual sign and will retain the scent of who or whatever broke it. Any alteration to the natural order of the environment is a neon sign to man and animal that some interloper is about or a game animal is close.
Whitetail bucks will break a fine branch where it makes a scrape and leave the scent from his preorbital glands. That location becomes his post office which he checks daily. An astute hunter will know this is a good location to harvest a buck.
Want rabbit stew? Watch for fine branches close to the ground cut off at a forty-five degree angle, as if by razor. Find a number of fine broken branches, higher off the ground, with ragged ends, it is clear sign deer were browsing.
Trappers, whether paleo or current day, do their best to leave no footprints in the mud or disturb vegetation. They will always walk in the water, upstream, as the visibility is clear, and sign easily seen. Aware also, that the downstream water is muddy and an enemy or trap thief will be alerted to the trappers’ presence. Muddy water may betray the presence of game animals such as waterfowl or deer.
A subsistence hunter or trapper will look at the natural world through the eyes of the wildlife and realize the focus on a single species is a fools’ errand without considering the impact on the natural community in which it lives. Each life form causes ripples throughout the community and self-awareness is mandatory for good stewardship of the natural world. To leave no trace is to reduce unforeseen impact on the natural community, of which we are temporary tenants.
Winter throws a wet blanket of snow upon the world, which nullifies leave no trace. Though temporary, it can have existential consequence on wildlife. It is as if the vegetation made a covert agreement with winter, to provide a fluffy white blanket, to protect the plant life from the cold and hide it from hungry animals during the most critical period for survival. The bear and the weasel were given a heads up about the secret agreement from a talkative crow. They knew their survival was in jeopardy, so the weasel evolved to turn white in the winter, wearing a cloak of invisibility. The bear decided to likewise, disappear completely, though in a warm den, sound sleep under the heavy blanket of snow.
A layer of late winter snow provides a detailed account of wildlife activities. A set of fox tracks continue in a relatively straight line as the fox travels efficiently between points of interest. It is clear when scent or sight caught the attention of the fox as the distance between tracks change and a depression in the snow reflects where it sat down to listen or watch for food, a love interest, or danger. No matter the scenario, the daily travel plans of the fox are revealed in the snow as headline news to any interested subscriber.
Ruffed grouse will fly into deep snow, leaving only a small round entry hole, as if some invisible hand excavated a random cavity in the snow. Momentum takes them several feet from the point of entry where they hide under virgin snow, leaving no trace of their presence. When disturbed, the grouse will explode from under the trackless white cover, like a feathered missile, to create a shower of glistening snow, accompanied by the sound of wildly beating wings, gathering air for a vertical takeoff. The heartbeat of the passerby who disturbed the bird, matches the heart rate of the frightened grouse.
Snow is the nemesis of ‘leave no trace’ advocates, as it bears witness to the otherwise covert lives who live by leaving no trace.
Fleshy footed animals like skunk, opossum and this raccoon, will den up in very cold weather, snowy weather and appear to emerge enmass when the temps rise.
Author Joe Mish has been running wild in New Jersey since childhood when he found ways to escape his mother’s watchful eyes. He continues to trek the swamps, rivers and thickets seeking to share, with the residents and visitors, all of the state’s natural beauty hidden within full view. To read more of his writing and view more of his gorgeous photographs visit Winter Bear Rising, his wordpress blog. Joe’s series “Nature on the Raritan, Hidden in Plain View” runs monthly as part of the LRWP “Voices of the Watershed” series. Writing and photos used with permission from the author.
The LRWP and our amazing Borough of Dunellen, Middlesex County, New Jersey State Council on the Arts, New Jersey American Water, Crunch Fitness and other friends invite you to our first 5K “RUN OFF”!!
The morning will include a 1.5 mile walk/roll/stroll to the Green Brook to watch New Jersey’s first installed “litter trap” trash capture device in action, and to see an in-stream “artificial eel habitat” that is helping us learn about migratory freshwater eels in the waterway. Join us for hands-on EcoArts activities, environmental education, special performances by the New Brunswick Brass Band, Audra Mariel (performing as Martin Howth), and the LRWP’s very own Trash Troubadour David Seamon!
LRWP Board Member Nandini Checko sat down to chat with a great friend of the Lower Raritan, Gregg Bucino, to ask him about cleaning up litter in New Jersey’s streams and his role as Clean Stream Advocate and Paddle Coordinator for the LRWP. We are so grateful for all Gregg does to keep the waterways of New Jersey clean, and to get folks out recreating on the state’s blueways!
Can you find Gregg Bucino in amongst the litter on the Green Brook?
Gregg has been a lifelong nature lover and advocate. Growing up in Nutley, NJ, he spent his childhood exploring the Third River tributary, which feeds into the Passaic River. For the past four years, he has dedicated his skills, knowledge, and passion to the LRWP, working to protect and restore local waterways.
NC: What was the first litter clean-up you organized?
GB: About twenty years ago, I worked at a health food store near the eastern branch of Brandywine Creek in Pennsylvania. The area was in terrible shape—completely trashed. A customer and I decided to take action, and together we organized a cleanup. That was my first, but definitely not my last.
NC: You’ve led over a hundred clean-ups over the years. What keeps you coming back?
GB: It’s incredibly satisfying—especially when I return to a spot we’ve cleaned multiple times and see that it’s finally free of litter. That’s when I know the work is making a difference. Plus, these clean-ups aren’t just about the environment. I get to spend time outdoors, exercise, and connect with friends who share the same passion. It’s rewarding on so many levels.
NC: What are some of the craziest things you’ve come across during litter cleanups?
GB: I’ve seen a lot over the years, but one of the wildest was a massive metal safe that was so heavy, we couldn’t even budge it. It really makes you wonder how it ended up there in the first place!
Another unforgettable experience was during a cleanup at Lake Hopatcong’s drawdown event. In just one day, we pulled 600 tires from the lake. People use old tires as bumpers for boats and docks, but over time, they end up sinking and littering the water. It was shocking to see just how many were hiding beneath the surface.
NC: Before joining with LRWP, you were involved with Hackensack Riverkeeper. Can you tell me about that experience?
GB: After moving back to NJ, I settled near the Hackensack River and quickly connected with the incredible team at Hackensack Riverkeeper, including Caitlin Duran and Bill Meyer. Through this group, I also built strong friendships with Anton Getz, an LRWP board member, and Jens Riedel from the Central Jersey Stream Team, a key LRWP partner.
One of my biggest roles there was managing the paddle center on weekends. When I first took over, it wasn’t generating any profit. Within a year, I helped turn things around, raising $60,000 through a combination of new initiatives. I developed a guided paddle program and launched an advertising campaign to attract more visitors. It was an amazing experience—seeing the impact of our work and helping more people connect with the river.
NC: What has helped you be successful in your work?
GB: Building strong relationships and celebrating victories—both big and small. Every win, no matter how minor, keeps the momentum going and inspires people to stay engaged.
NC: What are you excited about in 2025? Where is your happy place?
GB: I’m working on my certification as an international backpacking guide, which is an exciting new challenge. And, of course, my happy place will always be on the water—any chance I get, that’s where you’ll find me.
NC: Do you have a favorite spot in the Lower Raritan River Watershed?
GB: Absolutely—there’s a creek in the tidal waters near the NJ Turnpike. You’d never guess it was so close to a fast, noisy highway, but once you’re out on the water, it’s peaceful. It’s a reminder of how unexpectedly beautiful NJ can be.
NC: What do you appreciate most about LRWP?
GB: I admire the organization’s long-term commitment to its mission. Their focus on environmental monitoring, watershed restoration, diversity, and, of course, cleanups is clear and unwavering. But what really stands out is the integrity and friendship with the board and members—being part of this community is truly special.
Huge thanks to NFWF for supporting this cornerstone strategy for regional resilience against flood related hazards in the lower main stem of the Raritan River. We look forward to continuing to work with our wonderful Borough of Sayreville and Rutgers partners to realize a permit-ready engineering design plan to transform degraded wetlands of the South River ecosystem to high-quality marsh. Read more about our prior work on this project here.
What’s not to like about a project that can reduce flood risk, enhance breeding and foraging habitat for state-listed threatened and endangered avian species, and provide recreational opportunities for our communities? This is a very exciting project for the watershed!!!
Dark eyed junco, aka, ‘snowbird’, embodies the Chinese symbol for harmony and balance of opposing forces, and the moment when the darkness surrenders to the light during the winter solstice. This year the solstice occurs December 21, at 4:20 am.
The arrival of December is ushered in on the wings of a junco, as a pair landed in the among the protection of a stand of red cedar and darkness deepened at day’s end. Dark eyed junco migrate south in winter to escape the extreme cold of far northern climates and have earned the alias of ‘snowbird’. Though junco may be found year round in the northeast, the local population expands with migrants as winter takes hold.
The junco is a diminutive bird, easily recognized by dark slate gray upper body and pure white lower body. It appears as if the dark bird was lowered into white paint. The colors stand in stark contrast to each other with no transition from dark to light.
The sight of the two snowbirds perched among the dark green foliage of the cedars on this December evening, prompted a sudden realization that these winged messengers, perfectly symbolized the arrival of winter and the coming solstice.
December holds the claim to the darkest day of the year, by the measure of time from sunrise to sunset. Then, without transition, at the exact instant of celestial alignment, day light begins to depose the darkness. In that one day, December 21, 4:20 am, light overcomes darkness to retain the dynamic balancing act upon which all life on earth depends.
The Chinese, ‘yin yang symbol’, for harmony and balance of opposing forces, appropriately compliments the winter solstice. The opposing forces join in an infinite embrace to create a single entity. The image of a junco becomes an artistic interpretation of that ancient symbol and the winter solstice.
As flocks of junco move southward to precede the coming snowflakes, they are joined by black cap chickadees dressed for the cold weather with black caps, charcoal gray capes, and scarves covering their throat. Their black and white plumage pays respect to the winter solstice and the dance of day and night coexisting in dynamic balance. Chickadees thrive in the northeast states’ winter weather, tiny wisps of feathered energy traveling in small flocks, bold and cheerful. Known for their ‘chick a dee dee dee’ refrain, they give the impression that even the most frigid weather and deep snow cannot suppress their enthusiasm and cheer. In that way, chickadees have become a role model for people living in harsh climates. Encountering a flock of chickadees, cheerfully singing, deep in the snowy woods, lightens the step and brightens the mood or any winter traveler. Chickadees represent the birth of light and the flow of life-giving energy surging in the retreat of darkness.
Autumn is at risk of losing its reputation as a season of fall color and mild weather as it owns most of December, generally considered to be the heart of winter. The darkest days of the year occur during autumn and not winter. The instant winter arrives, it marks the rebirth of light, the precursor of life. December then nurtures the expanding light for only ten days before handing it off to January, where daylength outpaces the darkness and thrives on the energy of the freezing windblown snow.
Winter’s embrace preceding its scheduled arrival, is indistinguishable from its full midwinter delivery of snow and ice; winter is its own opening act. When the first snowflake lands after the first day of December, winter is declared to be in residence.
Looking toward the earth, rather than the stars, for winter’s arrival, the signs are many and varied and subjectively applied. My preference is to view natural wonders through primitive eyes. Winter arrived for me one cold morning in autumn where the first light lit the sky and everything the light touched reflected a blood red glow that was soon extinguished by darkness. The sun had only a brief window to prove its promise of another day before it was blotted out by a solid gray blanket laid across the sky. The cold sunless conditions suggested the possibility of snow and triggered a feeding frenzy. A doe and her spring fawn dressed in winter’s coat of gray and brown searched through the fallen leaves for acorns. A brown creeper, downy woodpecker and a pair of nuthatches searched crevices in the bark of leafless black walnut trees for insects.
Geese constantly talked among themselves to provide background sound to the occasion. The wind began to pick up and commit to a constant direction, and with it, delivered a brief, but heavy snow shower. One flake settled on a single stand of my wool mitten; its intricate structure easily seen. Entranced by the beauty of the snowflake I was startled by the nearby blood curdling howl of a coyote on the move. All the cackling geese went silent as the coyote demanded everyone’s attention, even the wind deferred, as if it was winter who spoke through the coyote announcing its arrival.
Author Joe Mish has been running wild in New Jersey since childhood when he found ways to escape his mother’s watchful eyes. He continues to trek the swamps, rivers and thickets seeking to share, with the residents and visitors, all of the state’s natural beauty hidden within full view. To read more of his writing and view more of his gorgeous photographs visit Winter Bear Rising, his wordpress blog. Joe’s series “Nature on the Raritan, Hidden in Plain View” runs monthly as part of the LRWP “Voices of the Watershed” series. Writing and photos used with permission from the author.
Thank you to everyone who came out on Friday December 13 to celebrate the LRWP as we move into our 10th year. How did we get so lucky with this board, these friends?
A few highlights:
-boat build lead Brian Smith’s family & friends surprised him with the winning bid on one of the canoes up for auction (thank you to everyone who donated and bid – we raised over $6000!!);
-remembering the Summer magic of Aqualumina 2024 with coLAB and Esperanza Neighborhood Group;
-sharing 6 years of water quality data – and highlighting the great value of a multi-year dataset to understand health risks;
-talking up the $1.57 million NFWF/NCRF grant, and the impact this major coastal resilience project will have on the South River and watershed.
With gratitude,
The Lower Raritan Watershed Partnership Board
LRWP Board from L to R:
Johnny Quispe, Missy Holzer, Dini Checko, Anton Getz, David Tulloch, Alex Zakrewsky, Heather Fenyk, Amy Braunstein (missing: Doriann Kerber)
For the last six years the LRWP has partnered with the Interstate Environmental Commission to conduct fecal and bacterial contaminant analyses of water samples collected at sites along the Raritan River. We are so appreciative of this partnership! On Wednesday December 4, our IEC friends are hosting an open house for us to see how they process our samples and to learn more about the work they do. Please contact Evelyn for more information.
The last full month of autumn, disguised as winter, covers this deer with an early blanket of snow.
The dried carpet of sliver maple leaves covering the lawn, was raked into a large pile, over several days, to prepare for cremation. Without conscious intent, the burning of autumn leaves took on the appearance of a sacrificial pyre, offered to some mischievous god to gain favor for the coming winter’s hunt.
The light gray smoke that rose from the smoldering pile of dried leaves magically turned into orange flame, which slowly consumed the sacrifice. Flames reduced the leaves to glowing embers, filling the air with the gentle scent of smoky incense, and finally to a layer of light gray ash, dispersed by a gust of November breeze.
November’s arrival is enlivened by lingering color, and departs with bare tree tops in its wake. During this period of transition, dramatic change takes place as the earth turns its glance away from the sun, to make it appear the stationary sun is traveling across the sky. As a result, the sun appears lower in the sky, day length and sunlight decrease and the earth begins to cool.
Myth suggests the earth’s lapse in attention to the bright star that holds our universe together, was a slight, deserving of immersion into deep cold and growing darkness. When the earth turns back to face the sun in the spring, all is forgiven, as light and warmth are restored to usher in a celebration of new life and hope.
If November were to be folded in half, fluorescent orange, oak leaves, would be layered upon the cold white snow, set against a slate gray background with bare, thin black tree branches forming a skeletal support structure upon which the compressed image of the month rests.
When the bright colors fade, the orange glow of funereal leaf pyres die, and the earth is left in darkness, eyes turn toward the heavens to gaze upon the bright stars and planets glowing against a black velvet lined display case. Countless billions of stars dot the heavens, clusters of stars taking on a milky appearance. Each star holding a portion of the faded daylight lost in the approach of winter. The stars give hope that the light is not lost after all, and with appropriate supplication directed to the heavens, it will soon be returned.
Staring at the night sky over time, patterns emerge and dots of light are connected to form the outline of mythical beings and animals referenced against the human experience. It then becomes apparent, the figures move across the sky, and appear only at certain times of the year.
November has its signature night sky, featuring impressive planetary choreography, meteor showers and animated constellations recognized by the earliest human inhabitants.
Planets, undifferentiated from stars at first glance make a featured appearance. Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, and Uranus take the stage at different times, in association with constellations, sunrise and sunset.
November fifteenth is the full beaver moon. Each full moon bears many aliases associated with events in nature. That link creates a primitive calendar, allowing a level of predictability required to enhance survival. The constellation, castor, appeared as a beaver to the paleo mind, and is used by taxonomists to derive the scientific name, ‘castor canadensis’, for the beaver. The impact of the impact of the stars on human creativity is timeless.
Meteor showers and falling stars, seen in the heavenly lit November sky, demand explanation. Strip away science, and let your imagination run wild with unrestrained conjecture to create a mythology that satisfies your primitive mind.
Any image of quintessential November is subjective at best and its many moods offer a variety of choices.
The first snow is usually delivered before November hands the last vestige of autumn over to December. The first, freshly minted white flakes are welcome emissaries who announce the intention of winter to arrive soon after. When the sky turns gray, the temperature drops near freezing, and flurries are forecast, all eyes are compelled by some innate siren call, to catch sight of their first snowflake. The stunning beauty and intricacy of each snowflake, appears to be the work of an ethereal entity and suggests the existence of a higher power. In some way, each unique flake is the blueprint for the infinite diversity of life and the appearance and personality of individuals within a species.
I clearly recall sitting around a large conference table in a room with two walls of outside windows, when snow was forecast for late afternoon. I kept watching for the first flake, which would easily stand in contrast against the dark wooded landscape. The anticipation was high, though the meeting ended without the expected precipitation. Odd that this event is cemented in my memory, though it may be a case where the intensity of expectation is such that the sight of a single snowflake would allow my escape from sterile environment in which I sat, it would, in essence, amount to a jailbreak for my soul.
Author Joe Mish has been running wild in New Jersey since childhood when he found ways to escape his mother’s watchful eyes. He continues to trek the swamps, rivers and thickets seeking to share, with the residents and visitors, all of the state’s natural beauty hidden within full view. To read more of his writing and view more of his gorgeous photographs visit Winter Bear Rising, his wordpress blog. Joe’s series “Nature on the Raritan, Hidden in Plain View” runs monthly as part of the LRWP “Voices of the Watershed” series. Writing and photos used with permission from the author.
Somerset County has filed an application with the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection for a minor diversion of Green Acres encumbered parkland in support of the proposed overall Headgates Dam Removal Project at Raritan River Mile 29.9, located in the Townships of Bridgewater and Hillsborough within Duke Island Park, Somerset County. The portion of the project that requires a diversion is the relocation of the existing Bridgewater Township 54-inch diameter sanitary sewer pipe. In order to meet the project need, it is necessary to divert a relatively small portion of the river and park property (subsurface), specifically 0.42 acres from encumbered parkland at Block 102, Lots 10 and 39 in the Township of Bridgewater and Block 48, Lot 10 in the Township of Hillsborough, Somerset County.
As compensation for the proposed diversion, Somerset County proposes to accept monetary compensation for the minor diversion which will be deposited into Somerset County’s Open Space Preservation Trust account to be utilized for future acquisition of land for recreation or conservation purposes. Pursuant to N.J.A.C. 7:36-26.6(c) a hearing to obtain public comment on this request will be held at: North Branch Park located at 355 Milltown Road, in Bridgewater Township, New Jersey on December 3rd at 6:00 PM.
Please see below a letter in support of this diversion, submitted to Somerset County by the Lower Raritan Watershed Partnership (LRWP).
November 17 / 2024
Thomas J. Boccino, PP, LLA / Supervising Planner – Preservation, Planning Division / Somerset County Department of Engineering and Planning / 20 Grove Street • P.O. Box 3000 / Somerville, NJ 08876-1262 / Boccino@co.somerset.nj.us
RE: Headgates Dam Removal Project
Dear Mr. Boccino —
The Lower Raritan Watershed Partnership (LRWP) is writing to express full support for the proposed minor diversion of Green Acres encumbered parkland to support the proposed overall Headgates Dam Removal Project at Raritan River Mile 29.9, located in the Townships of Bridgewater and Hillsborough within Duke Island Park, Somerset County. Our understanding is that the portion of the project that requires a diversion is the relocation of the existing Bridgewater Township 54-inch diameter sanitary sewer pipe.
The LRWP supports this diversion as an important step in meeting project needs, and furthermore understands that it is necessary to divert a relatively small portion of the river and park property (subsurface), specifically 0.42 acres from encumbered parkland at Block 102, Lots 10 and 39 in the Township of Bridgewater and Block 48, Lot 10 in the Township of Hillsborough, Somerset County. The LRWP believes that the overall project will significantly enhance habitat connectivity, improve water quality, and expand recreational opportunities for the Lower Raritan River and Watershed.
The LRWP formed in 2014 to address legacy contamination and current pollution in the Raritan River and the Lower Raritan Watershed. Our mission is to conserve, enhance and restore the natural resources of the New Jersey Watershed Management Area 9, the Lower Raritan Watershed. Specifically regarding the proposed interventions to replace and relocate of a section of the Bridgewater Township 54-inch sanitary sewer line, these activities will not only directly improve resources impacted by legacy contamination, but will benefit a broad spectrum of the Raritan River’s ecology and enable other environmental and human use benefits.
Significant ecological, environmental and human use benefits have in fact already been realized following recent removal of a series of dams (Robert Street, Nevius Street, and Calco) on the lower portion of the Raritan River between the towns of Bridgewater and Bound Brook. Likewise, we expect the proposed restoration activities for the Headgates Dam Removal Project to advance multiple Lower Raritan Watershed stakeholder goals, namely expanding access to several thousand acres of non-tidal freshwater mid to upper reaches of the Raritan River’s major tributaries. More specifically, we expect that removal of Headgates Dam will enhance maturation and rearing habitat for striped bass, American shad, American eel, blueback herring, and alewife, and should significantly increase the abundance of anadromous and catadromous species, which will improve the ecological health of the Raritan River.
Enhancing fish populations in the Raritan River system is important for fresh and marine ecosystems. It is especially appropriate as the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) lists the estuarine portion of the Raritan River as an important migratory pathway for anadromous alewife and blueback herring, species which NOAA lists as of special concern. The LRWP feels that the proposed projects could help to reverse declining population trends, and anadromous fish returning to spawn each spring in the Raritan River.
Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have questions, or if you wish to discuss further.
