Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs)

Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs) represent the assimilative or carrying capacity of the receiving waterbody taking into consideration point and nonpoint sources of pollution, natural background water quality, and surface water withdrawals. A TMDL identifies the sources (point and nonpoint) contributing a pollutant of concern and sets load reductions needed to meet surface water quality standards. Waters that do not meet the applicable standards are placed on the 303(d) List of Water Quality Limited Waters (303(d) List). The 303(d) List is then ranked and prioritized for TMDL development.

Discharge to Surface Water Permits

DEP’s NJPDES Discharge to Surface Water (DSW) Program regulates the discharge of treated and untreated effluent from various municipal and industrial facilities directly into surface waters of the State (e.g., rivers, streams, ocean waters) via a point source. These facilities operate under the authority of an individual or general NJPDES permit that limits the mass and/or concentration of pollutants discharged. The NJPDES DSW permits establish technology- or water quality-based effluent limitations that limit the mass and/or concentration of pollutants discharged to levels that will not cause the receiving water to exceed applicable surface water quality standards.

Discharge to Ground Water Permits

DEP regulates facilities that discharge sanitary and industrial wastewater to ground water under the NJPDES Discharge to Ground Water (DGW) Permit Program. The pollution control requirements contained in NJPDES discharge to ground water (DGW) permits are those conditions necessary to restrict the discharge of pollutants to ground waters of the State so that they do not exceed applicable ground water quality standards. The types of facilities regulated include: mines, pits and quarries; schools and hospitals; potable water treatment plants; large corporate office buildings; industrial manufacturing facilities; campgrounds and mobile home parks; food processors; and sewage treatment plants and other discharges of wastewater that can impact ground water, including the management of dredged materials at upland locations.

Stormwater Permitting

The Bureau of Stormwater Permitting is a part of the Division of Watershed Protection and Restoration. It is responsible for controlling discharges of pollutants to surface water and ground water. The source of these pollutants is stormwater and industrial or sanitary wastewater.

Stormwater Management

The Stormwater Management rules (N.J.A.C. 7:8) provide the basis for municipalities to develop stormwater management plans and specify stormwater management standards that are mandatory for new major development. The rules require that 100 percent of the average annual ground water recharge be maintained for new development projects, to help mitigate future droughts and flooding.

Combined Sewer Overflow

DEP is implementing a Statewide Combined Sewer Overflow Control Strategy consistent with the National Policy. As a first step, New Jersey has required its owners and operators of CSOs to develop and implement the Nine Minimum Control Measures (NMCs), specified in the National Policy. The CSO permit holders must capture and remove solids and floatables above a certain size at every CSO Point.

Coastal Management

The Coastal Management Program defines goals and standards for the purpose of integrating protection and enhancement of natural resources, appropriate land use and development, and public access to, and use of, New Jersey’s coastal resources. The program addresses some of today’s most pressing coastal issues, including sustainable and resilient coastal community planning, climate change , ocean planning, and planning for energy facilities and development.

Coastal Nonpoint Source Pollution Control

The Coastal Nonpoint Source Pollution Control Program addresses NPS pollution in coastal waters. This program part of the federal program administered jointly by the USEPA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The program describes how the State will implement NPS BMPs to reduce pollution associated with several sources such as agriculture, forestry practices, urban development, marinas and boating activities, hydromodification, and others.

Nonpoint Source Management

New Jersey’s NPS Management Program is implemented cooperatively with many other DEP programs along with other State agencies, including the New Jersey Department of Agriculture, local governments and watershed associations. The program combines regulatory controls, nonregulatory strategies, watershed-based plans and restoration actions, and targeted funding to address NPS pollution on a scale that ranges from statewide to individual watersheds or sources of NPS.

Water Quality Restoration Grant

Awarded by DEP to fund watershed restoration activities and initiatives that address nonpoint source pollution. Funding sources include USEPA pass-through grants issued under Section 319(h) of the federal Clean Water Act (CWA), Natural Resource Damages (NRD) recoveries, Corporate Business Tax (CBT) funds as well as other federal and State funds that may be available for NPS-related water quality restoration activities. Generally, grants are focused on restoring priority water bodies impaired predominantly by nonpoint source pollution where the grant will help implement an approved TMDL or WBP.

Agriculture Nonpoint Source Pollution Control

DEP fosters a partnership with the New Jersey Department of Agriculture (NJDA), the United States Department of Agriculture - Natural Resources Conservation Service (USDA-NRCS), and other agricultural organizations to achieve New Jersey's water quality goals. In some of New Jersey's more rural watersheds, agricultural land uses are the major nonpoint source of pathogens and nutrients. Implementing best management and conservation practices on agricultural lands is an important component of New Jersey's nonpoint source pollution control strategy because it will improve water quality, conserve water and energy, prevent soil erosion, and reduce the use of nutrients and pesticides.

Farm Bill Funding

The USDA-NRCS provides technical and financial assistance to help farmers, ranchers, and forest landowners conserve soil, water, air, and other natural resources. All programs are voluntary and offer science-based solutions that benefit both the landowner and the environment. NRCS provides conservation technical assistance through their staff at NRCS Field Offices and through NRCS certified Technical Service Providers, in cooperation with New Jersey's fifteen Soil Conservation Districts and the New Jersey Association of Conservation Districts. Other key partners include the NJDA, Rutgers University, and other State and Federal Agencies. New Jersey receives funds under the Farm Bill that are administered through the following USDA voluntary programs for eligible New Jersey landowners and agricultural producers.

New Jersey Water Bank

The NJWB provides loans to local government units for the construction of wastewater treatment facilities, sludge management systems for wastewater and water treatment systems, combined sewer overflow abatement, stormwater, and other nonpoint source management projects. The financing program also provides loans to both publicly, privately, and nonprofit noncommunity owned drinking water systems for the construction or upgrade of drinking water facilities, transmission and distribution systems, storage facilities, and source development. The Trust issues revenue bonds which are used in combination with zero percent interest funds to provide very low interest loans for water infrastructure improvements.

Green Acres / Blue Acres

As the principal land acquisition agent for DEP, Green Acres acquires land for state parks, forests, natural areas, and wildlife management areas. The Program also provides matching grants and low interest (two percent) loans to municipal and county governments, and matching grants to nonprofit organizations to acquire open space and develop outdoor recreational facilities. While the protection of water resources through land preservation has been a goal of Green Acres since its inception, the legislation further focuses Green Acres preservation efforts on lands that protect important water resources. In addition, Blue Acres acquires properties (including structures) that have been damaged by, or may be prone to incurring damage caused by, storms or storm-related flooding, or that may buffer or protect other lands from such damage.

Wetlands

New Jersey has taken a multi-faceted, comprehensive, approach to managing and protecting freshwater and coastal wetlands and developed the New Jersey Wetland Program Plan. The steps outlined in the plan will serve to direct current and future wetland protection and management efforts along a coordinated path to the benefit of New Jersey’s wetland resources and the quality of life for future generations. DEP, in collaboration with Rutgers University, has been undertaking research focusing on quantitative wetland biological assessment methods. A goal of this research is to explore development of a wetlands index of biotic integrity (IBI) for New Jersey.

Regional Water Quality Initiatives

A number of regional initiatives have been formulated to address water resources important to the State. Planning, regulatory, and non-regulatory measures aim to identify and respond to water quality issues in each region:

• Highlands Region Water Resource Protection Program
• Pinelands Protection Program
• Barnegat Bay Partnership (BBP)
• The Delaware Estuary Program (Partnership for the Delaware Estuary)
• New York / New Jersey Harbor Estuary Program (HEP)

Water Compliance and Enforcement

The DEP’s Division of Water Compliance and Enforcement is responsible for ensuring compliance with the State's water programs, with a particular focus on inspections of wastewater discharge and drinking water supply facilities. DEP employs site inspections and detailed reviews of reported information to ascertain compliance and takes administrative actions, levies penalties, and where necessary, works cooperatively with criminal prosecutors, to ensure compliance.

Land Resources Protection

Managing New Jersey’s land is a critical function of DEP’s overall environmental protection strategy. In recognition of the intimate tie between land use and the health and quality of our streams, estuaries, coastal waters, wetlands, wildlife habitat and our drinking water, the Division of Land Resource Protection regulates land use activities through a permit process in accordance with the rules promulgated in support of the following statutes: Freshwater Wetlands Protection, Flood Hazard Area Control Act, Wetlands Act of 1970, Coastal Area Facility Review Act, Waterfront Development Law, Tidelands Act, NJ Water Pollution Control Act, and the Highlands Water Protection and Planning Act.

Water Quality Standards: Surface Water Quality Standards (SWQS) and Ground Water Quality Standards (GWQS)

The Surface Water Quality Standards (SWQS) are rules established under the New Jersey Administrative Code at N.J.A.C. 7:9B that include the policies, surface water classifications, and surface water quality criteria necessary to protect the quality of New Jersey’s surface waters. The Ground Water Quality Standards (GWQS) also establish the water quality criteria and antidegradation policies applicable to each ground water classification and designed to ensure that the designated uses can be adequately protected.

Climate Change

New Jersey is working to address and mitigate the impacts of climate change . The State is surging forward toward its goal and is accelerating its transition to a low carbon economy through reducing its carbon pollution, expanding its clean energy infrastructure and building resilient communities. NJ’s goal is by 2050 achieve a 80% reduction of greenhouse gases from the 2006 baseline.

Community Water Monitoring

An important element of non-regulatory NPS control is the cumulative effect of the actions of citizens within their communities. Citizens practice water conservation and participate in stream walks, beach cleanups, and other environmental activities sponsored by community-based organizations. By helping out in such efforts, citizens address New Jersey’s largest water quality problem, nonpoint source pollution, advancing the goal of making more of our rivers, lakes, and coastal waters safe for swimming, fishing, drinking, and aquatic life.

Americorps NJ Watershed Ambassadors

By working with local communities, the AmeriCorps New Jersey Watershed Ambassadors Program (NJ WAP) promotes capacity building by raising public awareness about water quality and watershed issues through direct community involvement. AmeriCorps members are each assigned to one of New Jersey’s 20 Watershed Management Areas (WMA) and work with “host” agencies to serve as "Watershed Ambassadors" to their watershed communities.

Water Quality Assurance

The Office of Quality Assurance (OQA) administers DEP's Quality Assurance Program, which is required by USEPA to ensure that environmental data used by DEP is generated, compiled, and reviewed using specific quality assurance/quality control (QA/QC) procedures. OQA is responsible for developing and implementing DEP’s Quality Management Plan (QMP), which defines DEP's mission and planned quality assurance work outputs for the forthcoming fiscal years. OQA is also responsible for certifying that the laboratories that analyze data used by DEP operate using appropriate quality control measures and analytic methods.

Water Supply

The Division of Water Supply & Geoscience (DWSG) works to ensure New Jersey’s water supply is adequate, reliable, safe, and available for the future, based on sound science. The division has many programs that include water allocation and well permitting, safe drinking water compliance, license operators and capacity development, water system assistance and security, as well as geoscience and water resources planning.