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Understanding NJ’s MS4 Permit: A Guide for Local Representatives

STORMWATER AND ITS IMPACT ON THE BARNEGAT BAY WATERSHED The issue of stormwater presents a significant risk to the Barnegat Bay watershed and threatens to impact critical aspects of regional culture related to recreation, the integrity of biological resources, and human interaction with the coastal environment.  In December of 1999,...
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Ciba-Geigy Superfund Site in Toms River

CLICK HERE to access Britta Forsberg’s (SBB’s Executive Director) submission detailing her public comments regarding the settlement.  EPA Update PowerPoint on Ciba-Geigy Superfund Site— from Special Captains Meeting 1/17/23  
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The Impact of Stormwater on Barnegat Bay

WHAT IS STORMWATER? Stormwater is considered any form of precipitation, including rain, hail, sleet, and snow, that falls from the sky. All forms of precipitation eventually reach the ground and melt into water. Any water that isn’t absorbed into the ground flows over lawns, roads, and sidewalks and becomes stormwater runoff.  While...
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Proposed Statewide Restrictions on Plastics

New Jersey’s law banning plastic bags and polystyrene foam food service products went into effect on May 4, 2022. The law is a result of years of lobbying and strategizing by state environmental leaders and is regarded as the strictest plastic bill in the United States. It is just one example...
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NJ’s 2011 Fertilizer Law

In 2011, the New Jersey State Legislature passed bill A2290, the strictest fertilizer content law in the country. A2290 aimed at protecting the state’s waterways through controlling pollution at a common source, the use of synthetic fertilizers. Most broadly, the bill puts forth a framework for private fertilizer application and regulates...
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Phosphorus Restriction Bill

In an exciting progression of events, NJ legislature is set to vote this Monday on a phosphorus control bill. S2098 sponsored by Senator James Holzapfel as it is coded in the legislature, would “[require] labeling of ingredients and [restricting] phosphorus in household cleansing products.” Additionally, the framework asserts that the Department of...
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NJ Roadways Native Plant Legislation

On May 1, 2017, Governor Chris Christie signed bill S-227/A-963 into law. This piece of legislation called upon the Department of Transportation, Turnpike Authority, and the South Jersey Transportation Authority to use solely native vegetation for landscaping, reforestation efforts, and habitat restoration from that point forward. Furthermore, the state Department of Environmental...
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Municipal Stormwater Requirements

Effective January 1, 2023, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) issued a series of new requirements under the MS4 stormwater program. A major change to note in this new permit is that municipalities previously classified as Tier B are now classified as Tier A. Additionally, municipalities are required to...
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Save Breton Woods

Breton Woods is the forested area around Laurel Avenue, Drum Point Road, Downey Avenue, Cedar Knoll Drive, and Mayfair Court, and it represents one of last slivers of natural land in Brick, NJ. Earlier in 2022, the Diocese...
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The Clean Water Act & Impaired Waters

The Clean Water Act (CWA) was signed into law in 1972 and is, arguably, one of the most important pieces of legislation setting protections for natural resources in the United States. The Act’s language sets “fishable” and “swimmable” standard goals for water quality, meaning that water quality shall stay at...
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Native Plant Resources

  Did you know that native plants play a critical role in protecting the waters of Barnegat Bay? Native plants are uniquely adapted to exist in the soils, ecosystems, and conditions of a region. They provide a host of beneficial resources to the local environment, including the filtration of polluted...
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