2014 Environmental Resource Inventory
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ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCE INVENTORY REPORT FOR MILLBURN TOWNSHIP ESSEX COUNTY, NEW JERSEY March 11, 2014 Prepared for: Millburn Township Environmental Commission 375 Millburn Avenue Millburn, New Jersey 07041 Prepared by: Amy S, Greene Environmental Consultants, Inc. 4 Walter E. Foran Boulevard, Suite 209 Flemington, New Jersey 08822 ASGECI Project #3502 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This ERI was made possible with the support of Millburn Township and the Dodge Foundation working through the Association of New Jersey Environmental Commissions (ANJEC). The Millburn Township Environmental Commission also expresses its gratitude to the following individuals for their assistance and contributions to this ERI: Tom Doty, Township Forester Sandra H. Haimoff, Township Mayor Kerry Miller, Assistant Director of ANJEC Tom Watkinson, Township Engineer Arlene Yang, Former Commissioner Township of MillburN Sandra H. Haimoff, Mayor Robert J. Tillotson, Deputy Mayor W. Theodore Bourke, Committeeman Thomas C. McDermott, Committeeman Sari Greenberg, Committeewoman Millburn Township Environmental Commission Vaclav Benes, Chair Beryl Howe, Member Alexandra Melligon, Member Stephanie Chen-Schmidt, Member Michael Jurist, Alternate Judith Kramer, Alternate Sari Greenberg, Township Committee Laison ANJEC LiaisoN Kerry Miller, Assistant Director TABLE OF CONTENTS Page # 1.0 INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................................... 1 1.1 General Information and the Environmental Resource Inventory ................... 1 1.2 Millburn Township Environmental Commission and Other Committees ....... 3 1.3 Environmental Education................................................................................. 5 2.0 HISTORY .................................................................................................................... 8 2.1 Indigenous Peoples’ History ............................................................................ 8 2.2 Post European Settlement ................................................................................ 9 2.3 Civic Districts and Historic Resources .......................................................... 10 3.0 CLIMATOLOGY ..................................................................................................... 21 3.1 Regional and Local Climate........................................................................... 21 3.2 Global Climate ............................................................................................... 22 3.3 Heat Islands .................................................................................................... 23 3.4 Sustainability Initiatives................................................................................. 24 4.0 GEOLOGY ................................................................................................................ 26 4.1 Physiography.................................................................................................. 26 4.2 Stratigraphy and Surface Formations............................................................. 27 4.3 Aquifers and Hydrogeology of Recharge Areas ............................................ 30 4.4 Potable Water Supply .................................................................................... 34 4.5 Wellhead Protection ....................................................................................... 38 4.6 Sole Source Aquifers ..................................................................................... 39 4.7 Contamination ................................................................................................ 39 4.8 Known Contaminated Sites............................................................................ 46 5.0 SOILS ........................................................................................................................ 51 5.1 Introduction .................................................................................................... 51 5.2 Soil Groups .................................................................................................... 52 5.3 Soil Series ...................................................................................................... 53 5.4 Major Series and Non-Series Descriptions .................................................... 58 5.5 Prime Farmlands ............................................................................................ 68 5.6 Hydric Soils ................................................................................................... 69 5.7 Soil Characteristics ........................................................................................ 70 5.8 Soil Erosion and Sediment Control................................................................ 75 5.9 Acid Producing Soils ..................................................................................... 76 6.0 WATER RESOURCES ............................................................................................. 77 6.1 Watershed Management Areas, Drainage Basins and Major Surface Water Features ................................................................ 77 6.2 Surface Water Quality Classification ............................................................. 82 6.3 Surface Water Quality Assessments .............................................................. 82 6.4 Surface Water Quality Protection Measures .................................................. 90 6.5 Floodplains and Flood Hazard Area Control Act Rules ................................ 98 7.0 AIR QUALITYAND RELATED ISSUES .............................................................. 103 7.1 Regional Air Quality – Criteria Pollutants................................................... 103 7.2 Regional Air Quality - Air Toxics ............................................................... 105 7.3 Diesel ........................................................................................................... 107 8.0 WETLANDS............................................................................................................ 108 8.1 Definition and Identifying Factors ............................................................... 108 8.2 Wetland Resource Value Classification....................................................... 109 8.3 EPA Priority Wetlands ................................................................................. 110 8.3 Millburn’s Wetland Communities ............................................................... 110 8.4 Vernal Pools ................................................................................................. 113 8.5 Wetland Mitigation ...................................................................................... 114 8.6 Wetland Regulations .................................................................................... 115 9.0 LAND USE AND VEGETATED COVER ............................................................. 118 9.1 Land Use/Cover Types ................................................................................ 118 9.2 Land Use Descriptions ................................................................................. 118 9.3 Open Space .................................................................................................. 134 10.0 WILDLIFE ............................................................................................................... 138 10.1 Fisheries ....................................................................................................... 138 10.2 Endangered and Threatened Wildlife Species ............................................. 140 10.3 Endangered and Threatened Species in Millburn Township ....................... 141 10.4 The Landscape Project ................................................................................. 141 10.5 Threatened and Endangered Species Descriptions ...................................... 143 10.6 Forest Fragmentation and Habitats .............................................................. 147 10.7 Additional Wildlife Species ......................................................................... 148 10.8 Nuisance Wildlife Impacts ........................................................................... 151 11.0 LOOKING FORWARD .......................................................................................... 155 11.1 Environmental Commission Policy Statement ............................................ 157 12.0 GLOSSARY OF TERMS ........................................................................................ 158 REFERENCES ................................................................................................................... 165 APPENDICES APPENDIX A: Figure Maps and 2005 Natural Resource Inventory Mapping APPENDIX B: Wildlife Lists APPENDIX C: Climate Data, Natural Heritage Correspondence, Open Space Inventory, APPENDIX D: Photographs APPENDIX E: Non-Native Plant Species Distribution and InfestationSeverity FIGURE MAPS AND 2005 NATURAL RESOURCE INVENTORY MAPPING Figure Maps prepared by ASGECI: Map A-1 Location Map Map A-2 2012 Aerial Map A-3 Civic Districts & Historic Places Map A-4 SSURGO Soil Series Map A-5 Steep Slopes Map A-6 Wellhead Protection and Known Contaminated Sites Map A-7 Wetlands and Surface Waters Map A-8 FEMA Floodplain Map A-9 NJDEP Landscape Project Map A-10 2007 Land Use/Land Cover Map A-11 Vegetation Communities Map A-12 Bicentennial Trees Map A-13