NJ Reinstates Lake Water Quality Monitoring Program

The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has jump-started a statewide lakes water quality monitoring program that had been discontinued in 1992 due to lack of funding.

Under its renewed Water Monitoring and Standards program, DEP will sample New Jersey's lakes for phosphorus, nitrogen, chlorophyll, pH and other parameters. Information obtained from the testing will be used to determine the status and evaluate trends in the state's water quality. The information will allow officials to track contaminated sources and to support local and statewide pollution control programs. NJ Governor McGreevey approved 1.5 million dollars of corporate business tax (CBT) funds for the program.

The NJ DEP, along with volunteers from the Watershed Watch Network, will randomly sample 40 lakes a year for five years, resulting in the testing of 200 lakes statewide. Both man-made and natural lakes will be included in the sampling. At the end of the five-year period, the DEP will return to the first 40 lakes and begin the sampling project again, providing important information about trends in lake water quality. As the results of the sampling become available, they will be used to provide the public with information about New Jersey's lake water quality. This information will also be incorporated into an integrated water monitoring and assessment report that will be submitted to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) once every two years.

To learn more about the Water Monitoring and Standards Program, visit the NJ DEP’s website at: http://www.state.nj.us/dep/wmm/.