Barnegat Bay Funding Initiative

Map of Barnegat Bay Watershed

The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection and the New Jersey Infrastructure Bank (NJIB) are jointly working to effectuate meaningful water quality improvements in the Barnegat Bay Watershed, a vital ecological and economic resource for the state. A primary objective New Jersey Water Bank Program (NJWP) is to fund projects designed to remove pollutants that adversely impact Barnegat Bay.

Stormwater runoff carries pollutants into waterways, such as nutrients from fertilizers and animal waste. Excessive nutrients can cause algae blooms that impact the ecological health of waterways and diminish recreational enjoyment. Long, shallow, and narrow, Barnegat Bay is particularly susceptible to this type of pollution.

Eligible Projects

Projects receiving funding include watershed restoration and protection planning, restoration of wetlands, creation of living shorelines, stewardship and education, stormwater infrastructure mapping, stormwater-basin retrofits, restoration of aquatic vegetation and shellfish, and protection of the bay’s most sensitive habitats. These projects are a key part of the state’s implementation of the Barnegat Bay Restoration, Enhancement, and Protection Strategy.

Local governmental units in the Barnegat Bay Watershed can apply for low-interest loans to finance a wide variety of stormwater and nonpoint source control projects, including:

  • The construction of new stormwater best management practices (BMPs) (e.g., gravel wetlands, bio-retention basins, constructed wetlands)or retrofits of existing BMPs that reduce existing nitrogen discharges into Barnegat Bay;
  • The purchase of equipment (e.g., street sweepers, vacuum trucks) to reduce the pollution from stormwater runoff discharging into the Bay;
  • The construction of new stormwater best management practices (BMPs) or retrofits of existing BMPs that reduce existing pollutants (e.g., suspended solids) that discharge into Barnegat Bay (e.g., infiltration basins, extended detention, and manufactured treatment devices);
  • Projects involving the replacement and upgrade of septic systems,
  • Land acquisition and conservation measures, Land acquisition for siting a new or expanding an existing stormwater basin,
  • Stormwater outfall relocation or extension,
  • Installation of tide gates,
  • Major stormwater system rehabilitation,
  • Replacement of existing storm drains,
  • Runoff controls (manure/feedlots and streambank stabilization/restoration),
  • Salt domes, and
  • Other nonpoint source controls.

Ranking Methodology: DEP’s Priority List provides a strategic foundation for structural changes and includes objectives to implement projects that will help protect, maintain, and improve water quality in and around Barnegat Bay while determining the best long-term approach for restoring the ecological health of Barnegat Bay. To support these efforts to improve the Bay’s water quality, the current project ranking methodology for the Financing Program provides an additional 300 priority points to nonpoint source and stormwater runoff control projects intended to benefit Barnegat Bay. The additional 300 points will be assigned to wastewater reuse projects that are intended to offset the loss of freshwater flows caused by the regionalization of sewage treatment plants and the use of ocean outfalls. See the latest New Jersey Intended Use Plan and Project Priority Lists for details.

Program Contact: Paul Hauch, Bureau Chief, BCPA, 609-292-3114

 

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