Effects of Land Development on Water Resources of the Pinelands Region Prepared for New Jersey Future by Daniel J. Van Abs, PhD, PP/AICP Principal Investigator Rutgers – The State University of New Jersey School of Environmental and Biological Sciences Department of Human Ecology 55 Dudley Road, New Brunswick, NJ 08903 e: [email protected] p: (848) 932-9432 June 2014 Cover photo credit: Van Abs Effects of Land Development on Water Resources of the Pinelands Region Daniel J. Van Abs, Oliver Stringham, Yuling Gao and Tim Evans June 2014 Contents Acknowledgements ....................................................................................................................................... v Executive Summary ..................................................................................................................................... vii Overview of Target Area Results.............................................................................................................xiii Evesham/Medford Target Area ..........................................................................................................xiii Hammonton Target Area .................................................................................................................... xiv Little Egg Harbor/Tuckerton Target Area ............................................................................................ xiv Changes in Subwatershed Integrity ........................................................................................................ xv Water Quality .......................................................................................................................................... xvi Water Availability ................................................................................................................................... xvii Water Utilities ....................................................................................................................................... xviii Development Potential and Impacts ....................................................................................................... xx Recommendations .................................................................................................................................. xxi Considerations for State Agency Action ............................................................................................. xxi County and Municipal Actions ........................................................................................................... xxv Issues for Further Evaluation ............................................................................................................. xxv Chapter 1: Overview of Target Areas ............................................................................................................ 1 Introduction .............................................................................................................................................. 1 History and Pinelands Management Areas ............................................................................................... 1 Municipal Land Development Status ........................................................................................................ 3 Target Area Subwatersheds ...................................................................................................................... 4 Population and Employment Status and Trends ...................................................................................... 5 Municipal Development Potential ............................................................................................................ 7 Chapter 2: Watershed Characterization and Integrity................................................................................ 11 Evesham/Medford Target Area .............................................................................................................. 12 Land use/land cover and trends ......................................................................................................... 12 Impervious surfaces ............................................................................................................................ 16 Riparian areas and trends ................................................................................................................... 18 Flood prone areas and trends ............................................................................................................. 21 Forest areas and trends ...................................................................................................................... 23 Wetland areas and trends ................................................................................................................... 25 Ground water recharge ....................................................................................................................... 27 Protected areas ................................................................................................................................... 29 Summary for Target Area .................................................................................................................... 30 Hammonton Target Area ........................................................................................................................ 31 Land use/land cover and trends ......................................................................................................... 31 i Effects of Land Development on Water Resources of the Pinelands Region Impervious surfaces ............................................................................................................................ 34 Riparian areas and trends ................................................................................................................... 37 Flood prone areas and trends ............................................................................................................. 39 Forest areas and trends ...................................................................................................................... 39 Wetland areas and trends ................................................................................................................... 41 Ground water recharge ....................................................................................................................... 41 Protected areas ................................................................................................................................... 43 Summary for Target Area .................................................................................................................... 45 Tuckerton/Little Egg Harbor Township Target Area ............................................................................... 46 Land use/land cover and trends ......................................................................................................... 46 Impervious surfaces ............................................................................................................................ 49 Riparian areas and trends ................................................................................................................... 51 Flood prone areas and trends ............................................................................................................. 53 Forest areas and trends ...................................................................................................................... 55 Wetland areas and trends ................................................................................................................... 57 Ground water recharge ....................................................................................................................... 57 Protected areas ................................................................................................................................... 60 Summary for Target Area .................................................................................................................... 61 McDonalds Branch Comparison Area ..................................................................................................... 62 Overview and Summary .......................................................................................................................... 63 Chapter 3: Water Quality ............................................................................................................................ 65 Surface Water Quality Standards ............................................................................................................ 65 Surface Water Quality – Chemical and Physical ..................................................................................... 70 Surface Water Quality – Biological ......................................................................................................... 72 SWQS Violations...................................................................................................................................... 74 Ground Water Quality Standards ........................................................................................................... 78 Ground Water Quality............................................................................................................................