THE CITY of BAYONNE C HUDSON COUNTY, NEW JERSEY
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
NATURALRESOURCEINVENTORY FOR THE CITY OF BAYONNE c HUDSON COUNTY, NEW JERSEY Prepared For: The City of Bayonne Environmental Commission c Prepared By: Coastal Environmental Services, Inc. 2 Research Way, Princeton, NJ 08540 (609) 987 0966 May 1996 NATURALRESOURCEINVENTORY FOR THE CITY OF BAYONNE HUDSON COUNTY, NEW JERSEY Prepared For: The City of Bayonne Environmental Commission Prepared By: Coastal Environmental Services, Inc. 2 Research Way, Princeton, NJ 08540 (609) 987 0966 May 1996 City of Bayonne Natural Resource Inventory TABLE OF CONTENTS . LISTOFTABLES . 111 LIST OF MAPS _.._.................................___................._......_.......................................................... iV BASEIVW . .........1 LAND USE / IAND COVER . .3 TOPOGRAPHY . .... 5 II) FLOODPRONE AREAS . .._......._........_..__............................. 7 BEDROCK G EOLOGY . .._........................................................................................................._. 9 FmIR0NlvfENTALLY SENsm AREAS . 11 - zkPPENDIX 1 - LAND USE CLASSES . .16 APPENDIX 1 - SOURCEDATA . 18 ii City of Bayonne Natural Resource Inventory LIST OF TABLES L TABLE 1 -- LAND USE / LAND COVER SuMM.ARY . 3 . 111 L City of Bayonne Natural Resource Inventory LIST OF MAPS BASEMAN ................................................................................................................................. 2 LAND USE/ IAND COVER .......................................................................................................... 4 Tommm-rY ............................................................................................................................ 6 FLOODPRONE~~WAS. ................................................................................................................ 8 BEDROCKGEOLOGY. ............................................................................................................... 10 ENVIRONMENTALLYSENSrnAREAS .................................................................................... 15 iv Natural Resource Inventory II City of Bayonne BASE IYM The City of Bayonne is located in Hudson County in northeastern New Jersey. The City is bordered on three sides by water - Upper Bay to the east, the Kill Van Ku11 to the South and Newark Bay to the West. Bayonne’s northeastern border is shared with Jersey City. The Upper Bay border is adjacent to Kings County (Brooklyn), New York. The Kill Van Ku11 border is adjacent to Richmond County (Staten Island), New York. The Newark Bay border is adjacent to Essex and Union Counties in New Jersey. I The City of Bayonne covers a land area of 14.55 square kilometers (5.62 square miles), or 3,596.4 acres. Also within Bayonne’s political boundary is 4.75 acres of Shooter’s Island to the southwest (the remainder of which lies within Union County, NJ and Richmond County, NY). The New Jersey Turnpike enters the City from the Newark Bay Bridge and crosses the northern end of Bayonne on a northwest - southeast axis. Route 169 travels the length of Bayonne beginning at J.F. Kennedy Memorial Boulevard in the southwest heading east towards Constable Hook, it therrtraverses the eastern side of the City and then turns west just north of the New Jersey Turnpike. Several major avenues run through the city on a southwest - northeast axis. Railroad lines owned by Conrail run parallel to Route 169 with spurs into industrial facilities in Constable Hook, Bergen Point, and into the Bayonne Military Ocean Terminal, a U.S. Naval Reservation in Upper Bay. SOURCE DATA: l City of Bayonne; Map of the City of Bayonne; Revised 22 July 1980; Scale 1:6,000 l NJDEP, Integrated Terrain Unit: Hudson County, 1986 Imagery, Scale 1:24,000 l USGS; Topographic Quads: Elizabeth t Jersey City (NJ-NY) 1981; Scale 1:24,000 I City of Bayonne Natural Resource Inventory LAND USE / LAND COVER Land Use I Land Cover was classified using the U.S. Geological Survey’s Land Use / Land Cover classification system. Land Use was adapted from NJDEP’s digital Land Use data, which is derived from 1986 aerial imagery, and fi-om the City of Bayonne’s Zoning Map. Land Use / Land Cover in the City of Bayonne is primarily urban. Table 1 below summarkes the Land Use / Land Cover that lies within the political boundaries of the City. Land Use Class definitions are located in Appendix 1. TABLE 1 - LAND USE /LAND COVER SUMMARY SOURCE DATA: l City of Bayonne; Map of the City of Bayonne; Revised 22 July 1980; Scale 1:6,000 l E. Eugene Oross Associates; City of Bayonne Zming Map; May 1995; Scale 1:6,000 l NJDEP, Integrated Terrain Unit: Hudson Coun@, 1986 Imagery Scale 1:24,000 l USGS; Topographic Quads: Elizabeth L Jersey City (NJ-NY) 1981; Scale 1:24,000 3 Natural Resource Inventory I City of Bayonne T OPOGRAPHY Contour lines on the Topography map indicate lines of equal elevation. The numbers on the contour lines indicate the elevation in feet above mean sea level (ASL). The shape of the contours can be used to interpret the direction of stormwater surface runoff in areas where artificial storm drainage has not been emplaced. The City of Bayonne is relatively flat with elevations typically less than 30’ ASL. Slope is an expression of rate of change in vertical elevation over a horizontal distance. - Interpretation of the contour lines indicates that slopes are gentle in most areas of Bayonne. There are some steeper slopes along the Newark Bay side of the City and also proximal to Constable Hook. Steep slopes are generally associated with erosion and sedimentation in non-urbanized areas with inadequate stormwater storage and drainage, however, because the City of Bayonne is predominantly urbanized, this should not be a concern. While there is some brush/scrubland in the area of steeper slopes near Constable Hook, the vegetation in these areas should minim& any soil - displacement. SOURCE DATA: l City of Bayonne; h4ap of the City of Bayonne; Revised 22 July 1980; Scale 1:6,000 l NJDEP; Integrated Terrain Unit: Hudson County, 1986 Imagery, Scale 1:24,000 l USGS; Topographic Quads: Elizabeth & Jersey City (NJ-NY) 1981; Scale 1:24,000 City of Bayonne Natural Resource Inventory FLOODPRONEAREAS Floodplains are arcas of usually flat terrain bordering surf&e water bodies, at or near water surface elevation, which are periodically inundated by flood waters. Widespread flooding can occur after rainstorms of severe intensity, or during periods of prolonged rainstorms. Flooding can - also be caused by rapid melting of snowpacks. Floodplains are areas of high ecological value. Natural vegetative cover and proximity to surf&cc water provide excellent habitat for wildlife. Vegetated floodplains provide physical and biochemical water treatment by filtering out non-point source poMants that would otherwise enter the water bodies. I Approximately 230 acies of land adjacent to Newark Bay and the Kill Van Ku11 are identified as documented floodprone areas by the U.S. Geological Survey. An additional 1,57 1 acres of undocumented floodprone areas exist along Newark Bay from Bayonne Park north and encompassing Constable Hook, and the Bayonne Military Ocean Terminal. While most of the floodprone areas in Bayonne have been developed, it is desirable (from an I environmental standpoint) to maintain and, if possible, restore as much of these floodplains as possible to protect and enhance the remaining ecological communities. I SOURCE DATA: l City of Bayonne; Map of the City of Bayonne; Revised 22 July 1980; Scale 1:6,000 l NJDEP; Integrated Terrain Unit: Hudson COWI@, 1986 Imagery; Scale 1:24,000 l USGS; Topographic Quads: Elizabeth & Jersey City (NJ-NY) 1981; Scale 1:24,000 City of Bayonne Natural Resource Inventory BEDROCKGEOLOGY Most of the bedrock geology underlying the City of Bayonne is Diabase (or Basalt). Diabase (TRDB) is a mass of igneous rock formed from an intrusive mass of lava forced between sedimentary beds. Its maximum thichess is estimated to be greater than 300 meters (1000 feet). Diabase is hard and very impermeable, however it is characterized by fractures that facilitate sub- surface channeling of groundwater. The Stockton formation (TRS) is the next most extensive geological formation underlying Bayonne. The Stockton formation consists of light colored arkosic sandstone and conglomerate, with inter-bedded red sandstone and shale. Its thickness is estimated between 700 and 945 meters (2,300 - 3 100 feet). The bedrock geology under Shooter’s Island belongs to the Brunswick formation (TRB). It consists chiefly of soft, red shale with some interbedded sandstone. Its thickness is estimated between 1,829 and 2,438 meters (6,000 - 8,000 feet). Geologic masses from both the Brunswick and the Stockton formation are primarily derived from the sedimentation of disintegrated crystalline rocks from the southeastern United States. Lastly, the eastern portion of Constable Island in underlain by Serpentine (SP) masses, which are found in isolated patches of Franklin limestone. SOURCE DATA: l City of Bayonne; Map of the City of Bayonne; Revised 22 July 1980; Scale 1:6,000 l NJDEP; Integrated Terrain Unit: Hudson County, 1986 Imageq Scale 1:24,000 l NJ Department of Conservation & Development; “The Geology of New Jersey”; 1940 l USGS; Topographic Quads: Elizabeth & Jersey City (NJ-NY) 1981; Scale 1:24,000 I City of BayoMe Natural Resource Inventory ENVIRONMENTALLY SENSITIVE AREAS The areas identified on the Environmentally Sensitive Areas map contain ecologically valuable habitat for terrestrial, aquatic and avian species. These areas were identified