Environmental Resources Inventory will be unveiled at a July 24 Township Council meeting
By: Paul Koepp
Natural resources abound throughout the 42 square miles of South Brunswick, and township residents will soon have them all at their fingertips.
The township Environmental Commission and township planners are completing work on an Environmental Resources Inventory, which will be unveiled at the July 24 Township Council meeting at 7:30 p.m. and posted on the township Web site sometime in the next few weeks.
The ERI documents natural resources, land development patterns, and the infrastructure of the township, as well as information about zoning, population and the township’s history. It was compiled over eight months with the help of the planning firm Heyer Gruel and Associates, of New Brunswick, and the Association of New Jersey Environmental Commissions.
Environmental Commission Vice Chair Dan Van Abs said at the June 5 Township Council meeting that the ERI would be a long overdue tool for residents and for the Planning Department, since an inventory has not been done since 1984. He said the inventory’s maps can be layered on top of each other to show land contours, the flow of surface water, and noise levels anywhere in the township.
"We wanted everyone in the township to be able to use this information," Mr. Van Abs said in a press release Monday. "A large number of maps with explanatory text will be available."
Environmental Commission Chair Jerry Laurizio said Monday the ERI will show how natural resources relate to each parcel of land in the township.
"The Environmental Commission is especially interested in the areas around lakes and streams, high groundwater recharge areas, and habitat for threatened and endangered species," he said.
The ERI will also have information about groundwater contamination and other threats to water quality.
Mayor Frank Gambatese said at the June 5 meeting he was pleased with the Environmental Commission’s work and that the ERI would be a valuable tool.
It will soon be available at the township’s Web site, www.sbtnj.net.

