Great Swamp Advocacy Update - Feb. 2014

The Great Swamp Watershed Association (GSWA) is closely monitoring new proposals for land development currently under review by the planning boards in Long Hill Township and Bernardsville Borough.

Long Hill Township

In Long Hill, Restore Meyersville LLC has submitted an application to build a new indoor volleyball facility on property located at 596 Meyersville Road near the Meyersville traffic circle. The property, which once housed a business known as Archie's Resale, stands adjacent to a portion of the Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge.  GSWA has participated in several planning board meetings, and questioned the applicant and his experts.  The site is contaminated with asbestos and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs).  Under the proposed development plan, these pollutants will be cleaned up under the oversight of a Licensed Site Remediation Professional (LSRP).  The same plan will reduce the amount of impervious surface coverage at the site by almost 10%.  In turn, this may lead to a reduction in the amount of stormwater runoff flowing away from the property which will benefit the local environment.

Bernardsville Borough

Proposed site for new TD Bank building off Morristown
Road in Bernardsville, NJ. Credit: S. Reynolds

In Bernardsville, TD Bank has filed a proposal and requested variances to construct a new bank building, drive-thru lanes, and a parking area on vacant land along Morristown Road (U.S. Route 202) between Weichert Realtors and the retail shops at Bernardsville Centre.  (The planning board has not yet determined that the application is complete.)

Nearby Penns Brook has already suffered serious damage as a result of the stormwater runoff emanating from existing building complexes in the area.  Erosion along the brook is extensive.  Water testing reveals unusually high nitrate levels.  Road salt is routinely detected at levels in excess of state water quality standards.

As proposals for new construction along this stretch of Morristown Road have proliferated, GSWA has stepped in repeatedly to represent environmental interests and protect Penns Brook from additional harm.

In 2006, the organization cited concerns over increased stormwater runoff and erosion in its opposition to Weichert Realtors’ plan to construct a new building next to its existing 62 Morristown Road location.  (This construction project was proposed for the same site now under consideration by TD Bank.)

GSWA actively participated in the application for expansion of Bernardsville Centre to ensure appropriate stormwater controls.  GSWA stepped in once again in 2012 when Chase Bank sought to build a new facility immediately south of 62 Morristown Road.  In this case, the organization successfully argued in favor of amending Chase’s original development plan to include stricter stormwater controls.

Construction is currently underway at the Chase Bank
site off of Morristown Road in Bernardsville, NJ.
Credit: S. Reynolds

Slope disturbances at the Chase Bank site have been extreme.  The precipitous embankment that has been created has exposed several soil layers to the elements (see photos).  Although a retaining wall is being constructed, this wall will not be as effective as a stabilized natural slope.

Should TD Bank’s new proposal proceed, more of the same slope is likely to disappear.  And, yet another stand of mature, soil-stabilizing vegetation will disappear along with it.  Without question, the addition of another building and another parking lot will add even more to the impervious surface cover in this already-crowded Morristown Road corridor.

We already know that erosion and stormwater pollution have taken their toll on Penns Brook.  With new construction projects proliferating in the area--first at the Chase site and now at the proposed TD site--Penns Brook’s future must be weighed carefully against the upsides of further development.  And while development may be inevitable, GSWA will vigilantly advocate for it to be appropriate in size, scope, and environmental protections.

Water-friendly Golf in Mendham Township

MGTC Superintendent Chris Boyle (left) with GSWA
Executive Director Sally Rubin (center) and
GSWA Director of Water Quality Programs
Laura Kelm (right). Chris gave a tour of MTGC
that highlighted the many environmentally-sensitive
golf course management practices in place there.
Credit: GSWA, Carlos Pomares

In June, Great Swamp Watershed Association staff members were invited to tour the Mendham Golf and Tennis Club (MGTC) to assist in the club’s recertification in the Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Program for Golf Courses (ACSP). The ACSP promotes environmentally sound practices for land management and natural resource conservation on golf courses. Chris Boyle, the golf course superintendent, pointed out many of the measures in place at MGTC to protect the local environment and provide wildlife habitat.

Wherever possible, streams are surrounded by natural areas to provide habitat and protect waterways from stormwater runoff. Nest boxes for swallows, blue birds, wood ducks, and a thriving martin population are located throughout the property. Watering needs are determined on a daily basis using the club’s own weather station, and a portable soil moisture meter is used to target watering on dry areas. Soil tests and visual inspections determine the type, amount, and location of fertilizer usage. That fertilizer is applied in one of two ways: through the irrigation system or spot-applied at specific locations.

MGTC already conducts periodic water quality monitoring, but they also remain open to working with GSWA to improve on the location of monitoring site and increase testing frequency. GSWA’s recent State of the Streams report has shown that golf courses can have a negative impact on water quality. We are pleased to see a local golf taking steps to improve the environment and minimize impacts to water quality.

Accolades for Bernards High School Students Working Toward Cleaner Water

Advanced Placement projects benefit Great Swamp Watershed Association, win award from The Nature Conservancy

Bernards High School students in Karen DeTrolio’s AP Environmental Studies class made a big splash with their year-end projects this June.  Working in teams of 3 or 4, they examined their own relationships with water and turned their discoveries into practical information everyone can use to avoid pollution and conserve natural resources.

The 20 projects, which included everything from a review of the impact of common household chemicals on water supplies, to an explanation of the links between clean water and healthy wildlife, were developed in partnership with the Great Swamp Watershed Association (GSWA).

Dedicated to protecting the waters and the land of New Jersey’s 55-square-mile Great Swamp Watershed region, GSWA will incorporate the students’ work into the organization’s upcoming Watershed Friendly Homes program.  GSWA Director of Education and Outreach Hazel England worked with DeTrolio to design the classroom collaboration and provided guidance and support to students as their research progressed.

“GSWA was excited to initiate this project and collaborate with students from a school within the watershed,” said England.  “Their work will form a cornerstone for future outreach to residents in Bernardsville and the nine other towns of the Great Swamp Watershed as GSWA launches its new Watershed Friendly Homes program aimed at changing water use behavior in the region.”

Students were asked to present their final projects over the course of two days to an audience made up of their peers and several visiting environmental experts from GSWA and other local community groups.  Visiting experts were asked to assess each group’s presentation, and choose their favorites.

Awards for excellence went to four groups of students.  Seniors Lauren Thomann, Abby Parker, and Erin O’Brien chose to survey their peers and the surrounding Bernardsville community to learn more about local water use and what might keep people from engaging in more conservation-oriented behavior.

Senior Morgan Blain, senior Christian Torres, and junior Jon Carter explored the true cost of bottled water production and what it would take to convince consumers to replace boutique water brands with ordinary, clean tap water.

Seniors Bina Patel, Kathryn Levin, and Edi Lima ventured under the sink to discover more about the environmental effects of those household cleaning products we all use and wash down the drain when we are done with them.

Seniors Addie Clayton, Erin Doran, and Sophie Reddi documented the construction of a rain barrel they and their friends built from scratch.  Their double-barrel rainwater collection system, which cost $200 to construct, is already at work diverting rain from the roof of Bernards High School into a courtyard garden where it nourishes a multitude of watershed friendly native plants.

A fifth group, which included seniors Matt Whitlock, Katie Hildebrandt, and Till Rosscamp, went above and beyond their teacher’s requirements and submitted their project to The Nature Conservancy for consideration in the environmental organization’s Show Us Your H2O competition for school groups and civic organizations from New Jersey’s Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex, Morris, and Somerset Counties.  Structuring their research to meet stringent contest parameters, the trio created a presentation that carefully tracked the source of drinking water for the Borough of Bernardsville, and systematically analyzed the environmental risks facing that water supply.

Their hard work was repaid in full when they took top honors for their submission.  As a reward, Matt, Katie, and Till will be acknowledged for their integral role in the placement of a new rain garden that The Nature Conservancy of New Jersey will construct free of charge on the grounds of Bernards High.

“I am so pleased with the success of the project for both the GSWA and for my students,” said Bernards High teacher Karen DeTrolio.  “It provided my classes with a meaningful project-based learning experience, and the GSWA with the building blocks for their Watershed Friendly Homes program.  As a teacher, it was incredibly rewarding to watch my students apply what they learned throughout the year to a real-life situation.”

Congratulations to all of the participating Bernards H.S. students for a job well done.  Their work will appear online early this fall as part of GSWA’s Watershed Friendly Homes program.

Hurricane Irene, Tropical Storm Lee & Their Impact On Local Water Pollution Utilities

by Laura Kelm, Director of Water Quality Programs

I’m sure we all remember the impacts that Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee had on our homes, businesses, and towns. Great Swamp Watershed Association was curious if the storms had any impacts on the two water pollution control utilities (a.k.a. WPCUs, or wastewater treatment plants) located in the watershed.

The Woodland Water Pollution Control Utility of Morris Township discharges into Loantaka Brook. The plant did suffer a power outage as a result of the storms, but a backup generator was able to keep the plant running as usual. Timothy O’Dell, assistant superintendent of the WPCU, noted that the plant was designed to treat a maximum of 2.2 million gallons per day (mgd), while its average daily volume is only half that amount. This allows excess volume generated by storms to be held and treated afterward to meet state water quality requirements for WPCU effluent.

The Chatham Township WPCU, which discharges to Black Brook, also lost power during the storms, but was kept online with power from a backup generator. The maximum permitted flow at this smaller plant is 0.875 mgd. During the days after Hurricane Irene, the plant saw volumes as high as 2.26 mgd. Marc Christensen, the water pollution control manager, said that while the excess flow meant that the water moved through the plant faster than normal, the WPCU still met all of its target requirements for effluent.

Here are some other interesting facts and figures about these two WPCUs—

The Morris Township Woodland WPCU:

• had its new system built in 1992 to provide tertiary treatment.
• can retain 1.5 mgd for future treatment.
• has no combined sewer overflows (aka. CSOs).

The Chatham Township WPCU:

• has a normal flow under 0.875 mgd.
• took precautionary measures before Irene hit, including reducing the amount of solids held in inventory, in order to hold greater capacity during the storm.
• increases its flow during precipitation events because of open tanks at the WPCU, some infiltration from manhole covers and pipes, and some illegal hookups of rain gutters into sewer lines.
• has no combined sewer overflows (aka. CSOs).
• measured the following flows after Irene: 1.54 mgd on 8/27/20112.26 mgd on 8/28/20111.435 mgd on 8/29/20111.441 mgd on 8/30/2011, and1.167 mgd on 8/31/2011.

Reprinted from Great Swamp Watershed Association, Across The Watershed, Spring-Summer 2012.

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Editor's note: The spate of turbulent weather in the Great Swamp region that originally sparked our interest in learning more about what happens at our local Water Pollution Control Utilities has stuck with us for many months. How much of what we have experience—hurricanes, tropical storms, rampant flooding, mild winters, and unusual snow falls—actually demonstrate the effects of global climate change on our small corner of the world?

We decided to go in search of some answers that we could share with you in the form of one of our regularly schedule, early morning Breakfast Briefings.

On Tuesday, April 10, from 8:00 a.m. to 9:30 a.m., Professor Anthony Broccoli, director of the Rutgers Center for Environmental Predication, will try to help us understand what to expect of the changing weather in our state in the coming months and years. He also will explain studying the causes of climate change might help us all prepare for what is coming.

Please join us at GSWA's headquaters located at 568 Tempe Wick Road in Morristown, NJ, for this very special presentation.

Register at www.GreatSwamp.org/EventReg.htm if you wish to attend, or give us a call at 973-538-3500 x22. Registration is free for current GSWA members. Non-members are asked to make a voluntary donation of $10/adult and $5/child (6-17 yrs.), or $30/family (includes 4 or more people).

Great Swamp Watershed Association Announces Spring 2012 Speaker Series

Breakfast Briefings keep you informed about the local environment without missing time at the office.

See the full gallery on Posterous

Morristown, NJ—The Great Swamp Watershed Association is pleased to announce speakers and presentations scheduled for its Spring 2012 Breakfast Briefing Series. GSWA created the Breakfast Briefing Series in order to help busy professionals stay informed about community environmental issues without taking valuable time away from work or family life. Presentations are kept brief, focus on current environmental topics, and minimize overlap with most traditional business hours. Unless otherwise noted, all Breakfast Briefings take place on the second Tuesday of each month from 8:00 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. at GSWA’s headquarters located at 568 Tempe Wick Road in Morristown. Seating is limited, so online pre-registration is recommended, visit www.GreatSwamp.org/EventReg.htm. GSWA members attend at no additional cost. Non-members are asked to make a voluntary contribution of $10 per adult at time of registration. A continental breakfast is served at all events.

This spring’s scheduled presentations will cover eco-friendly landscaping, weather and climate changes in New Jersey, a discussion of threats to New Jersey’s critical forests and woodlands, and a summary of findings from an ongoing study of Great Swamp’s bugs, worms, mollusks, and other tiny spineless creatures. Speakers will include Professor Anthony Broccoli, director of the Rutgers Center for Environmental Predication, environmental author and landscape designer Leslie Sauer, Drew University Emeritus Professor of Biology Leland Pollock, and GSWA’s own Hazel England, director of education and outreach, and Laura Kelm, director of water quality programs. Our first briefing takes place on Tuesday, March 13, 2012.


Here is GSWA’s complete Breakfast Briefing schedule for Spring 2012—


Landscaping for the Environment
Tuesday, March 13, 8:00—9:30 a.m.
Kemmerer Library, 19 Blue Mill Road, Harding Twp., NJ
Want to learn how to make your yard more eco-friendly? Join Great Swamp Watershed Association’s Laura Kelm and Hazel England as they discuss ways to improve your landscaping to benefit local wildlife, water quality, and environmental conservation. We’ll start by reviewing simple tips and techniques designed to help you choose native plants that can manage the water on your property and keep pollution out of nearby streams. Later, you will learn which of those plants and shrubs do well under conditions found in the Great Swamp watershed, and which ones attract beneficial wildlife. This event includes an indoor presentation and an outdoor tour of recent plantings at Harding’s Bayne Park. Kemmerer Library is in no way responsible for the content or views presented during this event. Please note alternate location of this event.


Why Is New Jersey’s Weather Changing?
Tuesday, April 10, 8:00—9:30 a.m.
GSWA Headquarters, 568 Tempe Wick Road, Morristown, NJ
Hurricanes, freak snowstorms, 100-year flood events –what’s coming next?  If you’ve worried about our weather over the last twelve months, or the overall effects of climate change on your life here in New Jersey, you need to join us for this presentation by Dr. Anthony Broccoli, director of the Rutgers Center for Environmental Prediction. Professor Broccoli will tell us what to expect of the changing weather in our state, and he also will explain how study of the causes of climate change might help us better prepare for what is coming. Climate change will have profound effects on our environment and our society. Use this opportunity to inform yourself about the local consequences.

The Future of New Jersey’s Forests
Tuesday, May 8, 8:00—9:30 a.m.
GSWA Headquarters, 568 Tempe Wick Road, Morristown, NJ
What is going on with the woods?  What threats do New Jersey’s forests face? Join Leslie Sauer, founder of the ecological restoration consultancy Andropogon Associates and author of The Once and Future Forest, as she speaks about the environmental and manmade threats facing New Jersey woodlands. Topics covered may include deer overpopulation, non-native invasive species introduction, forest fragmentation, and logging plans. What do we have to watch for in our state and protected forests next time we are out for a hike in the woods? Come to this talk and find out!

Unlock the Secrets of Great Swamp's Small Creatures: 2011 Findings from an Ongoing Study of Macroinvertebrates
Tuesday, May 22, 8:00—9:30 a.m.
Kemmerer Library, 19 Blue Mill Road, Harding Twp., NJ
Macroinvertebrates—known outside of scientific circles as bugs, worms, mollusks and other small, spineless creatures—are useful when it comes to studying water quality and environmental conditions in and around a stream. For instance, dragonflies, aquatic snails, and flatworms can indicate whether the water in a stream is truly clean.

Drew University Emeritus Professor of Biology Lee Pollock, has studied these small creatures each year in the Great Swamp watershed since 1992. Join us to hear findings from his 2011 studies, along with his long-term view of environmental trends and what they mean for our local waters. There is no suggested donation requested for non-member attendance. Please pre-register online at www.GreatSwamp.org/EventReg.htm. Kemmerer Library is in no way responsible for the content or views presented during this event. Please note alternate day and location for this event.


For more information about GSWA’s Breakfast Briefing Series, please visit www.GreatSwamp.org or call 973-538-3500.