The Department of Environmental Protection is teaming up with several of the region's leading research institutions to perform scientific studies that will help the department make critical decisions on how to restore and enhance ecologically stressed Barnegat Bay, Commissioner Bob Martin announced today. Taken together, the series of ten studies coupled with other work the DEP is undertaking will result in the most comprehensive scientific analysis ever for the bay.
The studies will be performed by the Rutgers University Institute of Marine and Coastal Sciences, the New Jersey Sea Grant Consortium, Montclair State University, Rider University, Monmouth University and the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia, in cooperation with the DEP.
"Governor Christie is committed to restoring Barnegat Bay, an ecological treasure and tourism asset that is important to all of New Jersey" said DEP Commissioner Bob Martin. "The results of these studies will fill in data gaps and arm us with critical information that will help define future actions we must take to restore the bay and bring it back from many decades of decline. We are extremely fortunate to have such a pool of talent and expertise in marine sciences so close at hand to assist us as we nurse the bay back to health."
The Governor's 10-point Comprehensive Barnegat Bay Restoration Plan calls for a variety of strategies to reduce nutrient pollution to the bay, including the nation's toughest statewide fertilizer law, low-cost funding for local governments to improve stormwater control projects, acquisition and protection of land in the watershed to filter pollutants and provide buffers, and development of a Special Area Management Plan to improve coordination among planning jurisdictions. The plan also calls for the closure of the Oyster Creek nuclear power plant in Lacey Township by the end of 2019, a decade ahead of the expiration of its federal license.
For more information on the studies, visit: http://www.state.nj.us/dep/barnegatbay/plan-research.htm
For more on the Christie Administration's 10-point restoration plan, visit: http://www.nj.gov/dep/barnegatbay/