There’s no drought of ideas at the New Jersey DEP
By: Michele Byers
By now, we’re all aware of statewide restrictions on water no lawn watering, car washing or driveway hosing. Efforts are under way to move water from parts of the state where reservoirs are near normal levels to those with high demand.
But none of these measures will solve the underlying problem New Jersey’s water supply faces from increasing demand and growth. In recent years, residents in every part of the state whether their water comes from reservoirs, rivers or underground aquifers, from a water company or private wells are glimpsing the bottom of what once seemed a bottomless well of water.
"This is the most serious drought we’ve had in the last 100 years," notes Brad Campbell, state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) commissioner. "The drought of 1999 continues to be the drought of 2002."
Today, well drilling is at an all-time high, as homeowners chase water tables that are receding to record lows. Wetlands and even streams are drying up. These are just a few of the visible effects of the drought the real damage being done to the underground aquifers that hold so much of our water supply will take years to undo.
The DEP recognizes this. And it recognizes the fundamental importance of protecting the lands that protect our water supplies, and by managing where and how much new development is allowed to keep it out of the upland headwaters and groundwater recharge areas, for example. "We need to change the way we do business in managing our water resources," says Commissioner Campbell.
DEP is working with NJCF on a statewide open space plan, Garden State Greenways a vision for an interconnected network of preserved lands that will identify and preserve key watershed lands that are critical to protecting our irreplaceable drinking water.
The DEP also has launched a public education campaign about the drought, including a great new Web site www.state.nj.us/dep/drought/ or www.njdrought.org to check drought conditions and restrictions in your region. There also is a new drought hotline 1-800-4-ITS-DRY (448-7379).
In addition, the DEP is sponsoring public information forums where the commissioner and his staff share information about the drought and answer questions.
The next forum will be held in the Northeast Region on May 9, at the Blue Comet Auditorium located in the Central Railroad of New Jersey Terminal building at Liberty State Park in Jersey City. The Southwest Region forum is June 3 in Bordentown. The Northwest Region forum is June 4 at a location to be announced. Other regional forums will be announced soon.
The forums run from 4 to 7 p.m., and no registration is required, so take advantage of this opportunity to find out more about conditions in your area, what the state is doing, and what you can do to help! If you have questions, please call DEP’s Marybeth Brenner at (609) 292-2885.
And I hope you’ll contact me at 1-888-LAND-SAVE or [email protected], or visit NJCF’s Web site at www.njconservation.org, for more information about conserving New Jersey’s precious land and natural resources!
Michele S. Byers is executive director of the New Jersey Conservation Foundation.