Lakes Bay to Peck Bay)
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NJ Department of Environmental Protection Water Monitoring and Standards Reappraisal Report of Shellfish Growing Area SE3 (Lakes Bay to Peck Bay) July 2013 State of New Jersey NJ Department of Environmental Protection Chris Christie, Governor Bob Martin, Commissioner Kim Guadagno, Lt. Governor Reappraisal Report of Shellfish Growing Area SE3 (Lakes Bay to Peck Bay) New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Water Resources Management Michele Siekerka, Assistant Commissioner Water Monitoring and Standards Jill Lipoti, Director Bureau of Marine Water Monitoring Bruce Friedman, Chief July 2013 Report Prepared by: Julie Nguyen Acknowledgements: Special acknowledgments were given to the Captains for their perseverance in collecting shellfish water quality sampling. This study would not have been completed without the aid of the laboratory staffs at Leeds Point. Cover Photo –by Julie Nguyen TABLE OF CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 1 GROWING AREA PROFILE 2 LOCATION AND DESCRIPTION 2 GROWING AREA CLASSIFICATION SUMMARY 3 EVALUATION OF BIOLOGICAL RESOURCES 4 SHORELINE SURVEY: EVALUATION OF POTENTIAL POLLUTION SOURCES 5 LAND USE 5 SURFACE WATER DISCHARGERS 5 MARINAS 6 SPILLS, UNPERMITTED DISCHARGES, AND CLOSURE 6 STORM WATER DISCHARGES 7 WATER QUALITIES STUDIES 7 SAMPLING STRATEGY 8 BACTERIOLOGICAL QUALITY 9 COMPLIANCE WITH NSSP CRITERIA 9 Rainfall Effect 9 Location of the Stations Impacted by Rainfall at Various Time Stage 11 SEASONAL EFFECTS 11 RELATED STUDIES 13 Nutrients 13 Cooperative Coastal Monitoring Program 13 National Coastal Assessment 14 Environmental Monitoring for Public Access & Community Tracking (EMPACT) 15 CONCLUSIONS 15 RECOMMENDATIONS 15 LITERATURE CITED 16 SUPPORTING DOCUMENTATION 16 i 2 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Shellfish Growing Area SE3 is situated in southern New Jersey’s Atlantic Coastal Plain, between Atlantic and Cape May County. This area also lies within the Great Egg Harbor Estuary Complex. The Great Egg Harbor Estuary Complex includes the entire Great Egg Harbor River, Great Egg Harbor Bay, Peck Bay, and the adjacent salt marsh habitat from the mouth of the river to the inlet. The Great Egg Harbor Bay is part of New Jersey back-barrier lagoon system. This area is characterized by open water, salt marsh, and sandy shoreline habitat. The approximate size of this shellfish growing area is about 15,200 acres. The shellfish waters are classified are Approved, Seasonally Approved, Special Restricted, and Prohibited. In 2009, 786 acres of water in Lakes Bay were upgraded from Seasonally Approved to Approved year-round. The reclassification of shellfish waters did not increase the overall percentage of harvestable shellfish waters for this area, but instead opened up more waters for year-round harvesting. As the result, sixty-eight percent of shellfish waters in this area are classified as harvestable and the remaining shellfish waters are either closed or require a special permit. All of the adjacent city/municipalities are connected to city sewer system and are serviced by the Atlantic County Utilities Authority (ACUA) or Ocean City Regional Wastewater Treatment Facility (OCRWTF). These facilities discharge its treated wastewater effluent to the Atlantic Ocean. Therefore, there are no direct discharges of treated wastewater effluent to shellfish waters. There are several facilities that possess a NJPDES permits for stormwater and industrial discharge. One major surface water discharger is the Atlantic Electric- BL England Generating Power Plant. This facility is permitted to discharge the plant cooling water to the Great Egg Harbor Bay, which may contain chemicals such as heavy metals and PCBs. According to USEPA Toxic Release Inventory (TRI), the release of heavy metals and PCBs to surface water had declined dramatically since 2004. The only chemical that is still being released to surface water is ammonia, at minimal quantity. This report was based on data collected from January 2008 to December 2012. There were approximately 5,512 samples analyzed for this report, which were collected from 170 sampling sites. This shellfish growing area is divided into two sampling strategies. Stations in the north (Lakes Bay to Great Egg Harbor Inlet) are sampled under the Adverse Pollution Condition (APC) strategy due to predetermine point source. Stations in the south (Great Egg Harbor Inlet to Peck Bay) are sampled under the Systematic Random Strategy (SRS) due to impact by non-point source. Based on the NSSP APC and SRS approved and special restricted criteria, the majority of the sampling stations do meet their respective shellfish classifications. The annual total coliform geometric mean trend continues to decline, which means water quality is continuing to improve. Stormwater runoff still poses problems in certain areas. Trace of metals, pesticides, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were found to be presence in sediment and tissue samples. However, the contaminants levels were below federal guidelines. The sediment qualities within this growing area were ranked as either “Good” or “Fair”, depending on sediment location. Better sediment quality was found to coincide with area where there is better waters quality. Based on the data collected and analysis for this growing area, there are no upgrades or downgrades of shellfish waters recommended at this time. 1 GROWING AREA PROFILE Location and Description Shellfish Growing Area SE3 is located in southern New Jersey’s Atlantic Coastal Plain, between Atlantic and Cape May County. The primary waterbodies in this growing area include: Lakes Bay, Shelter Island Bay, Scull Bay, Steelman Bay, Great Egg Harbor Bay and River, and Peck Bay. There are several large fresh water tributaries that flow into the Great Egg Harbor Bay; and they are, the Great Egg Harbor River, Patcong Creek, and Tuckahoe River. The Great Egg Harbor Bay is part of New Jersey back- barrier lagoon system. This area is characterized by open water, salt marsh, and sandy shoreline habitat. Water depth varies from less than 3 feet in shallow areas to greater than 33 feet in the deeper channel. Tidal influence to this growing area is through the Great Egg Harbor Inlet. Extensive sand flats and mudflats occur in the bay due to the movement of sand through this inlet. This bay is also influenced by the freshwater flow that comes from the Great Egg Harbor River. The Great Egg Harbor River is one of the longest rivers (approximately 59 miles) in New Jersey and drains an area of about 304 square miles. It originates in Camden County and is joined by tributaries in Gloucester and Atlantic County before draining into Great Egg Harbor Bay. The river is tidal up to the dam, which is located in Mays Landing, Atlantic County. (National Park Service) 2 Growing Area Classification Summary The approximate size of this shellfish growing area is about 15,200 acres. The current shellfish classifications are as follows: Shellfish Classification Status Approved, Seasonally Approved, Special Restricted, and Prohibited Prohibited. The majority of shellfish waters in this area are 8% classified as Approved year round. Special Restricted 25% The Great Egg Harbor Bay, Scull Bay, Steelman Bay, portion of Peck Bay, and Ship and Risley Channel are classified as Approved, Approved meaning harvesting of shellfish within these areas is permitted year 50% round. The Seasonally Approved (November to April) areas are Approved (January) located in Lakes Bay, Peck Bay, and along the shoreline in Somers 3% Approved (November) Point and Ocean City. The only Seasonally Approved (January to 14% April) area is in the Great Egg Harbor River. This area is approximately two miles upstream from its mouth on the Great Egg Harbor Bay. Beach Thorofare, Great Thorofare, Back Thorofare, Patcong Creek, Tuckahoe River, and section of Great Egg Harbor River are classified as Special Restricted. Prohibited areas can be found in the upper portion of the Great Egg Harbor River. The figure below illustrates the shellfish classifications for this growing area. It is also on the 2012 State of New Jersey Shellfish Growing Water Classification Charts or on WM&S/BMWM website at http://www.state.nj.us/dep/bmw/ 3 Evaluation of Biological Resources Shellfish growing area SE3 is situated within the Great Egg Harbor Estuary Complex. Within this complex are several state operated wildlife management areas, including the Lester G. McNamara Wildlife Management Area (aka Tuckahoe Wildlife Management Area), Pork Island Wildlife Management Area, Malibu Beach Wildlife Management Area, and Cape May Coastal Wetlands Wildlife Management Area. Approximately, 99% of the eligible waterways and adjacent lands in this complex are part of the Pinelands National Reserve. The Pinelands National Reserve is part of the Atlantic Coastal Plain Biosphere Reserve designated by UNESCO under the Man and Biosphere program. In 1992, President Bush signed a bill designating 129 miles of the Great Egg Harbor River and its tributaries as National Wild and Scenic Rivers. (www.nps.gov) Due to its undisturbed and relatively pristine waterways, it provides a rich habitat for several threatened and endangered plant and animal species, including the bald eagle, the peregrine falcon, and the Pine Barrens tree frogs. The freshwater and tidal wetlands serve as resting, feeding, and breeding areas for waterfowl throughout the year. 4 Shoreline Survey: Evaluation of Potential Pollution Sources Shoreline surveys or site-specific tours of areas nearby or abutting shellfish growing waters can provide insight