Water Monitoring, Standards & Pesticide Control

WMSPC

The Director’s Office of the Division of Water Monitoring, Standards and Pesticide Control oversees all activities of the Division, including coordination of policy development, information dissemination and outreach. The Office sets and monitors progress towards various goals which assist the Division in achieving its mission.

Collectively, the Division gathers and analyzes water quality data, coordinates the development of water quality standards and the restoration of impaired waters, ensures compliance with pesticide regulations, and provides public education and outreach. The Division is made up of four Bureaus.

Bureau of Freshwater and Biological Monitoring (BFBM)

The Bureau of Fresh Water and Biological Monitoring is responsible for providing chemical and biological monitoring for NJ’s lakes, rivers, streams and groundwater used to determine if water quality meets designated uses and for long term water quality trends. The water monitoring and assessment is mandated by the Clean Water Act and is supported by federal Section 106 funding. Monitoring is a year-round, field intensive activity, which requires staff to travel throughout the entire state. Each monitoring program supported by the BFBM is a designed network that includes a Quality Assurance Project Plan. Current networks are:

In addition to the monitoring networks above, the BFBM implements a new unified statewide approach in responding to Cyanobacterial Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs) in freshwater. The HABs Strategy protects the public from risks associated with exposure to cyanobacteria and related toxins, and was developed jointly by NJDEP and the NJ Department of Health, with technical input from the NJ Department of Agriculture.

Bureau of Marine Water Monitoring (BMWM)

The Bureau of Marine Water Monitoring is involved in many aspects of the State’s coastal water quality for both public and ecological health. Its roles include monitoring for compliance with the National Shellfish Sanitation Program, assisting with the Cooperative Coastal Monitoring Program, evaluation of the ecological health of the coastal waters, and monitoring to identify and track pollution sources impacting the State’s coastal waters.

BMWM operates three (3) state certified labs; Bacteriology, Chemistry and Microbiology. All three labs provide data which directly support BMWM and Department priorities. Uses of the monitoring data include: determination of shellfish growing water classifications; water quality assessments for the Integrated Report; identification of waters impaired for designated uses; development of water quality criteria; development of Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs) and pollutant source tracking for New Jersey’s beach monitoring program.

Bureau of Environmental Analysis, Restoration and Standards (BEARS)

The Bureau of Environmental Analysis, Restoration and Standards develops water quality standards that provide the scientific foundation to assess, protect, and restore New Jersey’s water resources so that all of our rivers, lakes, and coastal waters are fishable, swimmable, and support healthy ecosystems, and so all of our freshwater resources are clean drinking water sources. This is accomplished through the assessment of data collected by BFBM and BMWM, the development of the total maximum daily loads, watershed restoration and protection plans, the Integrated Water Quality Assessment Report, and implemented through our community water monitoring and AmeriCorps NJ Watershed Ambassadors programs. In addition, the Cooperative Coastal Monitoring Program (also known as the Beach Monitoring Program) & the Clean Shores program (removal of trash from coastal beaches) are also coordinated out of this Office.

Bureau of Pesticide Control (BPC)

The Bureau of Pesticide Control is responsible for enforcing the state code and the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) with regards to the use, sale, distribution, and manufacture of pesticides in the state of New Jersey. The BPC is also responsible for enforcing the Worker Protection Standard, ensuring the safety of the 40,000 agricultural workers on New Jersey farms and nurseries.

State inspectors support compliance assistance through the following activities:

  • Performs routine inspections of commercial and private pesticide applicators and businesses, such as pest control operators, lawn care companies, farms, and nurseries
  • Responds to complaints and investigations of possible pesticide misuse
  • Environmental sampling and analysis by the Pesticide Evaluation and Monitoring Program’s Laboratory
  • Provides training and information about compliance with the federal worker protection standard (WPS)
  • Coordinates pesticide enforcement work with individual counties under the County Environmental Health Act (CEHA)
  • Assists schools with implementing Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Programs

Link:
Exam and Licensing
Pesticide Laboratory
Resources
Contact Us