In This Issue:

• Coastal Calendar
• FEATURE: Greening the Garden State Through Remediation, Assessment, and Restoration
• Jersey Beaches on "Shore" Footing
• Fishing for Regulatory Solutions
• Shellfish Restoration Program Enters Fifth Year
• Marine Science Competition Plumbs Oceans of Knowledge
• Shore Takes Center Stage in Survey

Greening the Garden State Through Remediation, Assessment, and Restoration

by Anthony Dvarskas, Ph.D., Economist
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Office of Response and Restoration

(cont'd from page 1)

Trustees in Action on Spills Along the New Jersey Coast

Exxon Bayway Spill

     In January 1990, a pipeline rupture beneath the Arthur Kill, which separates Staten Island, New York from the New Jersey coast, resulted in the release of approximately 567,000 gallons of home heating oil. The oil spread throughout the waterway, leading to the oiling of wetlands and wildlife and impacting the ecosystem services provided by these natural resources. Following the initial response and cleanup, consisting of booms, bioremediation, and trenching to minimize the natural resource impact, NOAA and its partners worked to assess injuries to the public’s resources and determine the restoration needed to compensate the public.

     The settlement reached in 1991 has provided approximately $11.5 million for restoration work in New Jersey and New York. Some funds have been used to support 17.5 acres of salt marsh enhancement and restoration as part of the Woodbridge Creek Ecosystem Restoration Project in Woodbridge, New Jersey as well as acquisition of a 25-acre floodplain forest in Edison, New Jersey. Project components include removal of Phragmites, excavation, and return of tidal flow to the marsh habitat. Another project in New Jersey designed to serve as compensatory restoration for this spill is located in Jersey City, New Jersey. This project will enhance and restore 32 acres of wetlands and floodplain at Lincoln Park West by restoring tidal flow between the marsh at the site and the Hackensack River. The project will also remove a solid waste landfill from the shoreline and provide beneficial reuse of clean harbor sands obtained from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Port Authority through the New York and New Jersey harbor navigational deepening program. The reuse plan demonstrates how NOAA works closely with state, federal, and local agencies to enhance and protect ecosystem services provided by urban harbors and estuaries.

     Through this work, DARRP has brought together local communities and state and federal agencies in a partnership that has fostered environmental leadership and stewardship throughout the New York/New Jersey Harbor Estuary,” according to Carl Alderson a Coastal Restoration Specialist with NOAA’s Restoration Center in Sandy Hook, New Jersey.

Santa Clara

Wood and Metal Fish Passage Project at Lake Lenape Dam

     Further south, approximately 30 miles off the New Jersey coast, the container ship Santa Clara lost cargo carrying arsenic trioxide, a toxic chemical, during a storm in January 1992. The containers settled on the ocean bottom in an area used for commercial clamming and recreational fishing. While testing indicated no arsenic exposure beyond natural levels in fish, the cleanup and testing effort necessitated closure of a 16 square mile area for approximately 180 days. The compensatory restoration project completed in 2006 resulted in the construction of a fish ladder at a dam at Lake Lenape in Mays Landing. This fish ladder has opened up approximately 15 miles of spawning and nursery habitat for alewife, and the state of New Jersey is currently monitoring the fish run.

Athos I Oil Spill

Oil sheen visible in the Delaware River days after the Athos I spill

     An on-going recent example of the damage assessment process in action occurred following the Athos I spill on the Delaware River. On November 26, 2004, the M/T Athos I struck a submerged anchor while docking at Plainsboro, New Jersey, resulting in the release of approximately 265,000 gallons of crude oil into the river. NOAA and its state and federal partners, along with the parties responsible, evaluated the impacts of this oil spill to the shoreline resources, aquatic habitat, and bird populations, while also assessing and the spill’s impacts on recreational use of the river. The draft Damage Assessment and Restoration Plan (DARP) for the Athos I spill provides a set of nine potential restoration projects to compensate for losses from the spill, including habitat restoration, oyster reefs, dam removals, and recreational projects.

     One of the proposed projects outlined in the Athos I DARP involves restoration at New Jersey’s Mad Horse Creek Wildlife Management Area, which would address the injuries caused to shoreline and bird resources. Located alongside Delaware Bay in southern New Jersey, this wildlife management area contains a range of habitat types, including transitional wetlands and salt marshes. Agricultural practices at the site resulted in filling certain areas of the marsh, allowing for proliferation of Phragmites (common reed), an invasive plant. The Trustees sought to address the oil spill impacts, while limiting the spread of this invasive species. As proposed, the project would restore 62.5 acres of degraded tidal wetland, including upland creation of 35 acres of freshwater wet meadow and 100 acres of grassland. The restoration work will also enhance tidal inundation through excavation of fill material, providing appropriate habitat for Spartina alterniflora, a native marsh plant.

     "These projects will benefit coastal communities and economies by improving habitats, providing green jobs during and after construction, and creating new opportunities to enjoy the river and its native wildlife.” said Dr. Robert Haddad, Chief of the Assessment and Restoration Division.

Providing Technical Expertise for Remediation and Settlement at Contaminated Sites

     NOAA currently collaborates with the NJDEP, USFWS, and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency by advising on cleanup actions that promote environmental recovery at 35 CERCLA sites in New Jersey. DARRP provides expertise concerning the effects of contaminants in the environment, appropriate remediation and restoration activities, and use of valuation methods (such as HEA) to reach settlement.

     The Chemical Leaman Tank Lines site, located in Logan Township, was contaminated with heavy metals, polychlorinated biphenyls, and polyaromatic hydrocarbons. In 2001, NOAA was involved in developing a protective remedy and accelerating a settlement among the potentially responsible party, the USFWS, and the NJDEP in 2001. These settlement funds are being used for land acquisition and tidal wetland restoration at the Supawna Meadows National Wildlife Refuge on the Delaware River in Pennsville, New Jersey.

     NOAA also developed the HEA used by the NJDEP to reach its 2002 settlement at the Kin Buc Landfill site in Edison Township. Projects that resulted from this effort include restoring approximately 30 acres of tidal wetlands, enhancing 4 acres of freshwater wetlands, and restoring approximately 60 upland acres. NOAA also recommended additional post-remediation sediment sampling at the NL Industries site, a former lead recycling smelter in Pedricktown, and additional remediation will be implemented. This site is part of the Exide bankruptcy claim for natural resource damages submitted in 2003. Other waste sites where NOAA has been engaged in this process include Lone Pine Landfill in Freehold Township, Syncon Resins in South Kearny and Helen Kramer Landfill in Gloucester.

     NOAA’s involvement at hazardous waste sites throughout New Jersey from the assessment phase right through remediation and then into restoration results in expedited and cost-effective remediation and global settlements that include restoration of the public’s resources,” said Reyhan Mehran, one of NOAA’s three Regional Resource Coordinators working within the state. “Bringing NOAA’s expertise and tools to the table from start to finish leads to multiple benefits - to the natural resources, the local community, and even the potentially responsible parties.”