Micro to Macro - Rutgers Universityraritan.rutgers.edu/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/2018...Micro to Macro Wetland Type 1986 acres 1995 acres 2002 acres 2007 acres 2012 acres 26 year

The Future of the Raritan

Micro to Macro

Micro to MacroThe Future of the Raritan

Addressing Concerns through Basin-wide

Watershed Management Planning

Dr. Richard G. Lathrop, Jr.


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Key concerns have emerged in the Raritan

• 10 key indicators of water quality and watershed health

• Integrated assessment of those indicators

• State of the Raritan Reports (Volumes 1 and 2)


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1. Impervious surface cover is increasing due to

changes in urban development trends.

Impervious Surface 1995 Percent IS 2012 Percent IS

Raritan, Basin-wide 11.2% 12.9%

Upper Raritan 5.7% 6.6%

Lower Raritan 19.9% 22.4%

Millstone 9.4% 11.5%


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• Linked to urban development

• Population growth

• Housing units

• Transportation use

• Commercial use


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2. Emerging contaminants are an increasing

concern in the Raritan.

• The source of pollutants, extent of contamination and

potential risk to human health and aquatic life is not well

understood.

• Further investigation is required.


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3. Raritan wetlands continue to decline.

• The Raritan has suffered a loss of 12,500 acres (more

than 13%) of wetlands since 1986.

• Emergent wetlands suffered the highest acreage

conversion to other land uses compared to other wetland

types.


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Wetland Type1986

acres

1995

acres

2002

acres

2007

acres

2012

acres

26 year

change

26 year

change

(percent)

Forested Wetlands 74,000 71,096 71,956 70,122 70,402 -3,598 -4.9

Emergent Wetlands 17,065 14,386 11,657 11,890 11,156 -5,909 -34.6

Coastal Wetlands 2,488 2,450 2,341 2,209 2,194 -294 -11.8

Agricultural Wetlands 13,859 13,107 11,343 10,370 9,875 -3,984 -28.7

Disturbed Wetlands 1,943 3,461 1,887 1,644 1,220 -723 -37.2

Total Wetlands 109,355 104,500 99,184 96,235 94,847 -14,508 -13.3


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4. A large portion of the Raritan’s designated

open space is not accessible.

• 147,142 acres (20.8% of the total basin) is held in fee or

easement, but less than half is actually open access.

• The remainder is classified as restricted access, closed,

unknown, or preserved farmland.


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5. Flooding in the Raritan is complex, and

mitigation has been reactionary.

• While site-specific improvements have been made, the

Raritan region remains vulnerable to flooding and its

impacts.

• Total combined National Flood Insurance Program

payouts in Raritan basin communities for Floyd, Irene

and Sandy exceeded $203.78 million dollars.


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6. Prime agricultural lands are decreasing.

• Over 44,500 acres of prime agricultural lands converted

to other land uses, representing a 44.3% change in land

use.


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7. Consistent protections for at-risk species are

deficient.

• New Jersey’s Landscape Project serves as a tool to

identify those areas most likely to serve as habitat for

threatened and endangered species.

• Ranks 3 through 5 support at-risk species.

• These areas deserve higher levels of conservation

protection.


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8. Groundwater recharge is declining.

• Intricately tied to infiltration rates of different land covers,

the loss of primary recharge zones such as wetlands,

upland forest and prime agricultural lands coupled with

increases in impervious surfaces negatively impact

groundwater recharge in the Raritan basin.


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9. Upland forests and canopy cover are on a

general decline

• The Raritan has experienced a net loss of upland forest of

over 8,300 acres with mixed results for overall canopy

cover, with some areas losing as much as 12.6 percent

cover and others gaining 10.3%.


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Upland Forest ConversionRaritan River

Watershed

Upper Raritan

WMA

Lower Raritan

WMAMillstone WMA

Agriculture 14,491 6,941 1,936 5,614

Barren Land -3,180 -1,052 -1,073 -1,054

Urban -18,810 -8,094 -6,377 -4,338

Water -617 -337 -207 -73

Wetlands -253 -86 -133 -34

Net Gain/Loss of Upland Forest -8,369 -2,628 -5,854 115


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10. Cleanup of contaminated sites in the

Raritan Basin is not proactive.

• Transparency and pace in contaminated site cleanup in

the Raritan is lacking.

• Pollutants from contaminated sites can seep into

groundwater or run off into adjacent surface waters

where they can negatively impact water supplies.


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“The health of our waters is the principal measure of

how we live on the land.” – Luna Leopold

A sustainable future for the Raritan Basin depends on halting, if not

reversing, the downward trajectory of these key indicators. Such an

effort will require stakeholders working together across the basin to

address these and other concerns.

To help reinvigorate a basin-wide planning initiative, we will spend the

remaining time of this session to discuss shorter-term actions and

longer-term policies to point a way forward.

…


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Sources

SOR v1 – 2016 http://raritan.rutgers.edu/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/SOR-Final-

2017-01-30.pdf

SOR v2 – pending publication

http://raritan.rutgers.edu/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/SOR-Final-2017-01-30.pdf


Micro to Macro

Micro to MacroThe Future of the Raritan

Working Session


Micro to Macro

Micro to Macro - Rutgers Universityraritan.rutgers.edu/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/2018...Micro to Macro Wetland Type 1986 acres 1995 acres 2002 acres 2007 acres 2012 acres 26 year

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