included in
watershed area
Several communities
included in
watershed area
By jennifer kohlhepp
Staff Writer
The Lawrence Brook Watershed Partnership urges community members to take action now to protect the local water supply.
Since October 1997, residents from North Brunswick, South Brunswick, East Brunswick, New Brunswick and Milltown have actively participated in protecting the Lawrence Brook watershed. The group said it promotes watershed management concepts integrating a variety of activities to address common issues affecting shared water quality now and for the future.
According to the partnership, a watershed is an area of land that drains into the lowest point — a common body of water such as a river, lake, stream or bay.
The local watershed, the Lawrence Brook, encompasses many communities and a diversity of uses, habitats, development patterns, and water quality influence, according to the partnership.
According to President Alan Godber, the partnership obtained its 501(c)(3) nonprofit status in 1998, is a participating member of the N.J. Council of Watershed Associations, and the Raritan Basin Project, which is planning a headquarters and a nature center.
"Our mission is to educate members of the community," partnership member Ray Seaman said. "The federal government is looking for volunteers to measure the quality of our water. We volunteer to test the quality of the water and report back to the state with our findings," he said.
The group also organizes litter cleanups to protect the quality of local bodies of water.
"We are planning a Farrington Lake litter cleanup, again, in April of this year," Godber said. "Last year’s cleanup was a great success. We collected tons of debris and garbage from the area. Our goal is to clean the entire site, so no one thinks about polluting it ever again," he said.
The group encompasses many communities that lie on the watershed.
"Because water moves from one community to the next, we share common problems, which transcend community boundaries," Seaman said.
Currently, the partnership works out of the Milltown Municipal Building at 39 Washington Ave. and consists of 45 paid members and nearly 250 mailing list individuals, according to Godber.
"The more members we have, the more we can do," Seaman said.
The partnership is currently in need of volunteers for several activities. Training and equipment are provided to complete water quality testing, chemical, biological and stream walking. Training and equipment are also provided for mapping activities for land use, according to Godber.
Volunteers will also help to study land acquisition for open space and study the proposed nature center design, according to Godber.
"The nature center will be a wonderful place for environmental education," Seaman said. "The partnership has obtained land on the corner of Washington and Main streets in Milltown to build its headquarters, which will include two classrooms, an exhibit center, a library and laboratories. The land will house nature trails, biking trails, bird watching facilities and a butterfly habitat," he said.
The area includes a 10-mile stretch of the Raritan River where the partnership will conduct water testing, according to Seaman.
"The problem we’re running into with building the nature center is that congressmen will not take us seriously without a large sum of money, almost $100,000," Godber said. "So, we are actively pursuing money and donations to ensure them that we are committed," he said.
Fiancee Director Charles Bruno said the amount includes outfitting the site, which includes a small house, with heat, electricity, insurance and handicap accessibility.
Regular partnership membership is $20. Tax-deductible gifts are also accepted. According to Bruno a raffle, held this spring, will also help to defray the cost for the start-up of the center.
For more information to become a volunteer or a member, visit www.lbwp.org or phone (732) 828-2100, ext. 177.

