WATER-QUALITY DATA FROM RECONNAISSANCE SURVEYS OF SELECTED ESTUARIES IN SOUTHERN NEW JERSEY, JULY-OCTOBER 1989 By R. Edward Hickman U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY Open-File Report 91-491 Prepared in cooperation with the NEW JERSEY DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AND ENERGY West Trenton, New Jersey 1992 U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR MANUEL LUJAN, JR., Secretary U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY Dallas L. Peck, Director For additional information Copies of this report may be write to: bej purchased from: i District Chief U.S. Geological Survey U.S. Geological Survey Bdoks and Open-File Reports Section Mountain View Office Park Fdderal Center Suite 206 Box 25425 810 Bear Tavern Road Denver, CO 80225 West Trenton, NJ 08628 CONTENTS Page Abstract........................................................... 1 Introduction....................................................... 1 Description of the study area. ..................................... 2 Estuaries of the Metedeconk and Toms Rivers................... 2 Estuaries of the Great Egg Harbor and Tuckahoe Rivers......... 2 Estuary of the Maurice River.................................. 8 Field and laboratory methods....................................... 8 Description of the water-quality data.............................. 17 References cited................................................... 18 Appendixes A-E. Water-quality data collected at stations in and near the estuary of the: A. Metedeconk River........................................... 21 B. Toms River................................................. 33 C. Great Egg Harbor River..................................... 40 D. Tuckahoe River............................................. 50 E. Maurice River.............................................. 58 ILLUSTRATIONS Figure 1. Map showing locations of Barnegat Bay and the estuaries of the Metedeconk and Toms Rivers.................... 3 2-3. Maps showing locations of water-quality stations in and near the estuary of the: 2. Metedeconk River..................................... 4 3. Toms River........................................... 5 4. Map showing locations of the Great Egg Harbor Bay and the Great Egg Harbor and Tuckahoe Rivers............. 6 5-6. Maps showing locations of water-quality stations in and near the estuaries of the: 5. Great Egg Harbor and Tuckahoe Rivers................. 7 6. Maurice River........................................ 9 TABLES Tables 1-2. Water-quality stations in and near the estuary of the: 1. Metedeconk River................................... 10 2. Toms River......................................... 11 3. Predicted times of high and low tides during water- quality profiles of the Great Egg Harbor, Tuckahoe, and Maurice Rivers....................... 12 4-6. Water-quality stations in and near the estuary of the: 4. Great Egg Harbor River............................. 13 5. Tuckahoe River..................................... 15 6. Maurice River...................................... 16 iii CONVERSION FACTORS Multiply fiX To obtain centimeter 0.3927 inch meter 39.37 inch meter 3.281 foot kilometer 3,281 foot kilometer 0.6214 mile square kilometer 0.3861 square mile Multiply fiX To obtain foot 0.3048 meter mile 1.609 kilometer Temperature Conversion degrees Celsius (°C) 'F - (1.8)x(°C) + 32 degrees Fahrenheit (°F) IV WATER-QUALITY DATA FROM RECONNAISSANCE SURVEYS OF SELECTED ESTUARIES IN SOUTHERN NEW JERSEY, JULY-OCTOBER 1989 By R. Edward Hickman ABSTRACT Water-quality characteristics are presented for the estuaries of the Metedeconk, Toms, Great Egg Harbor, Tuckahoe, and Maurice Rivers. Temperature, specific conductance, pH, transparency (Secchi disk depth), and concentrations of dissolved oxygen and suspended sediment were measured. Water-quality characteristics of each estuary were measured during monthly longitudinal profiles during July-October 1989. Measurements on the Metedeconk and Toms Rivers were made during morning and afternoon in July- October and August-October, respectively; measurements on the Great Egg Harbor and Tuckahoe Rivers were made during high and low tides in July- October, and on the Maurice River were made during high and low tides in July. Additional field measurements were made on tidal tributaries of the Great Egg Harbor and Tuckahoe Rivers. INTRODUCTION Surface-water diversions from coastal streams are potential sources to help meet present and future demand for freshwater in southern New Jersey. Increased withdrawal rates are planned for the existing diversion on the Metedeconk River, and potential sites for additional diversions have been identified near the heads of tide of other selected streams. Freshwater diversions may increase the salinity in the estuaries of these rivers, and increases in salinity could cause undesirable changes in estuarine water quality. The estuary of each river is the downstream, tidal reach in which the freshwater discharged by the river mixes with the saltwater of the ocean. Water-quality data are needed to gain information about the processes controlling estuarine water quality and to determine how water quality will be affected by diversions. Some water-quality data collected during the 1970's are given in reports by Makai (1978, undated a, and undated b). This report presents water-quality data measured during reconnaissance surveys of the estuaries of the Metedeconk, Toms, Great Egg Harbor, Tuckahoe, and Maurice Rivers in southern New Jersey during July-October 1989. The purpose of the estuarine surveys was to collect preliminary water-quality information that will aid in planning a more extensive project to determine the changes in water quality resulting from existing and proposed freshwater diversions. Temperature, specific conductance, pH, transparency (Secchi disk depth), and concentrations of dissolved oxygen and suspended sediment were measured. This study was done by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in cooperation with the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection and Energy. Personnel of the New Jersey Geological Survey (NJGS) of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection and Energy worked with those of the U.S. Geological Survey to make the field measurements presented in this report. NJGS also provided the boat that was used. DESCRIPTION OF THE STUDY AREA Estuaries of the Metedeconk| and Toms Rivers The estuaries of the Metedeconk and Toms Rivers are part of the Barnegat Bay estuarine system (fig. 1). Each estuary consists of a downstream embayment and a narrow channel upstream from the head of the embayment (figs. 2 and 3). Both embayments! have a nearly uniform water depth of 1.5 to 2.0 meters at mean low watejr (U.S. Department of Commerce, 1986b), and a mean range of tide of about 0.15 meters (U.S. Department of Commerce, 1988). The heads of tide were ta!ken from New Jersey State tidelands maps (State of New Jersey, undated a and undated b). The Metedeconk River estuary is 9.4 kilometers long and has a maximum width of about 1.1 kilometers (fig. 2). The drainage area at the mouth, 205 square kilometers, was determined from 1:24,000-scale topographic maps by use of a planimeter; the mouth of the Metedeconk River as designated in this report is different from that in Velnich (1984). Brick Township currently withdraws freshwater just downstream from the head of tide. The Toms River estuary is 11 kilometers long and has a maximum width of about 1.6 kilometers at its mouth (fig. 3). The drainage area at the mouth is 497 square kilometers (Velnich, 1984). Estuaries of the Great Egg Harb(|>r and Tuckahoe Rivers The estuaries of the Great Egg Harbor and Tuckahoe River are tributary to the Great Egg Harbor Bay which discharges to the Atlantic Ocean (fig. 4). Both estuaries are surrounded by extensive salt-marsh wetlands. The mean range of tide is 1.1 meters in the Great Egg Harbor Bay and 1.2 meters in the Great Egg Harbor River at Mays Landing (U.S. Department of Commerce, 1988). The Great Egg Harbor River estuary extends 23 kilometers upstream from the Bay to the head of tide at the outlet of Lake Lenape at Mays Landing (fig. 5). It has a maximum width of about[0.6 kilometers and a maximum depth of about 11 meters at mean low water (U.S. Department of Commerce, 1986a). The drainage area at the mouth is 899 square kilometers (Velnich, 1984). The Tuckahoe River estuary extends 22 kilometers from the mouth of the river to Route 49 near Head of River (fig. 5). It has a maximum width of about 0.5 kilometers and a maximum depth of about 10 meters at mean low water (U.S. Department of Commerce, 1986a). The drainage area at the mouth is 264 square kilometers (Velnich, 1984). Water-quality measurements also were made in the Great Egg Harbor Bay, Middle River, Patcong Creek, and Cedar Swainp Creek. Middle River is a tributary of the Great Egg Harbor River, Patcong Creek is a tributary of the 74° 15' 74* I 75" 74" MANASQUAN RIVER POINT PLEASANT CANAL METEDECONK RIVER 40* 40' 39' 0 10 20 MILES 0 10 20 30 KILOMETERS 39°45' 10 MILES 10 15 KILOMETERS Figure 1.--Locations of Barnegat Bay and the estuaries of the Metedeconk and Toms Rivers. 74°10 74°02'30" 40° 05' - HEAD OF TIDE BRICK TOWNSHIP DIVERSION 2'30" - NEW JERSEY METEDECONK RIVER 40°00' - EXPLANATION U.S. Geological Survey water-quality station Number is index number listed in table 1. Figure 2.--Water-quality stations in and near the estuary of the Metedeconk River. 740 12'30" 10' 7'30" 74°5' 39° 57'30" 55' 76° 74° 2 MILES 41' 3 KILOMETERS 52'30" 40C EXPLANATION 1 U.S. Geological Survey water-quality * station. Number is index number listed in table 2. 39' 0 10 20 MILES 0 10 20 30 KILOMETERS 39°50' Figure 3.--Water-quality stations in and near the estuary of Toms River. 74°45' 74°30' I 39°30' GREAT EGG HARBOR BAY. LAKELENAPE Head of River TUCK AH op GREAT EGG ARBO BAY 39°15' 10 MILES i 10 15 KILOMETERS Figure 4.--Locations of the Great Egg Harbor Bay and the Great Egg Harbor and Tuckahoe Rivers. 74° 50' 45' 40' 74°35' 39°30' 75' GREAT EGG HARBOR RIVER 22'30" 39° - HEAD OF TIDE GREAT EGG HARBOR BAY EXPLANATION 39°15' Mouth of river U.S. Geological Survey water-quality station. Number is index number listed in tables 4 and 5.