New Jersey's coastal ocean basic information on New Jersey's coastal ocean, pollution, and people--a guide to understanding the problems, the issues, and the long term solutions

[From the U.S. Government Printing Office, www.gpo.gov]

New Jersey's Coastal Ocean

R. asic Information on New Jersey's Coastal Ocean.,
Pollution, and People - a Guide to Understanding the
Problems, the Issues., and the Long Term Solutions

Prepared By

The Planning Group

Off ice of the Commissioner

October 1987

Ne.w Jersey Department of Environmental Protection

Basic Information on New Jersey's Coastal Ocean,
Pollution, and People - a Guide to Understanding
the Problems, the Issues, and the Long Term Solutions

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page

I. Introduction ................................. 1

Ii. Sources of Ocean Pollution ................... 2

III. The Controls Over Ocean Pollution ............ 2

IV. Ocean Waste Management Activities
Regulated By Federal Agencies ................ 3

A. Municipal Sewage Sludge ............... 3
B. Dredged Material ...................... 7
C. Industrial Waste ...................... 11
D. Woodburning ........................... 12
E. Enforcement of Illegal Activities ..... 13

V. Ocean Inputs Directly or Indirectly
Regulated by the States ...................... 15

A. Wastewater ............................ 15
B. Non-Point Sources of Pollution ........ 16
C. Beach Litter .......................... 17
D. Air Pollution ......................... 17

Vi. Other Issues Worth considering ............... 18

A. Beach Monitoring ...................... 18
B. Health Study .......................... 19
C. Dolphin Deaths ........................ 19
D. Algal Blooms .......................... 20
E. Ciba Geigy ............................ 20
F. Artificial Reefs ....... 21
G. Ocean Incineration of Hazardous Waste .21
H. Offshore oil and Gas .................. 22

VII. Suggested Reading ............................ 22

Basic Information on New Jersey's Coastal Ocean,
Pollution, and People - a Guide to Understanding
the Problems, the Issues, and the Long Term Solutions

I. Introduction

The condition of New Jersey's coastal ocean has become
a major issue for the people in New Jersey. Most everyone
has experienced the New Jersey Shore as a vacation
destination or f or a one or two day getaway. Vacationers
enjoy the beach and the surf during the summer months while
boaters, fishermen, nature lovers, and shore residents
extend the season from early spring to late fall. No one
wants to see pollution spoil the shore.

The Summer of 1987 was very unusual. For seven weeks
starting in late July the newspaper headlines were filled
with reports of ocean pollution and beach closings. Yet at
the same time scientists from the United States
Environmental Protection Agency and the New Jersey
Department of Environmental Protection were reporting that
ocean water quality was excellent. The scientists were
looking at high dissolved oxygen levels, water clarity, and
low bacterial counts. The people on the beaches were seeing
garbage in the water, isolated beach closings and dead
dolphins. How can we have a situation where the ocean is
healthy, while at the same time, it is suffering from a
series of insults that angered everyone? If it was a simple
problem there would be a simple answer. Unfortunately the
problems are complex and do not lend themselves to quick and
easy solutions.

The ocean serves man in many ways. Some of man's
activities result in conflicting uses and pollution. One
major use is commercial shipping. Cargo ships, tankers and
passenger vessels use the ocean as a highway to transport
raw materials, finished products, and passengers. Another
use is commercial fishing. Fishermen make a living by
harvesting marine resources such as fish, clams, and
lobsters. The ocean contains a number of minerals which we
need to support the lifestyle we all have come to expect.
oil and natural gas are found below the ocean floor. The
large oil companies have developed ways to extract minerals
from the offshore area and deliver the oil and gas to
onshore facilities for processing. The ocean is used for
recreation. Ocean bathing, boating, sailing, scuba diving,
and recreational fishing are but a few of the leisure time
activities of millions of people. Finally, the ocean has
been used to dispose of waste materials generated from all
aspects of our modern society. Some waste management
practices have been found to be relatively harmless to the
ocean while others are not acceptable. The ocean has a
remarkable ability to process wastes naturally without harm

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to living marine resources (fish, marine mammals, plants and
birds). However, some chemicals, industrial wastes, and
plastics have the potential for ocean pollution and must be
regulated. Unfortunately, some of the harmless wastes tend
to have small quantities of harmful chemicals associated
with them. Disposal of these wastes in the ocean could
result in harm to the living marine resources or lessen the
enjoyment of swimming in the ocean.

II. Sources of Ocean Pollution

The three major ways the ocean can be polluted are from
river and coastal discharges, fallout of air pollutants, and
barge dumping. Each pathway is dif f erent . and its
contribution varies greatly. * Most people think of ocean
dumping of wastes from barges or scows as the primary cause
of pollution. Although it is a very visible source, the
overall contribution is minor in comparison with land based
pollution flowing out into the ocean from our rivers, bays,
and coastal areas. Rivers pick up pollutants from many
upland sources and deliver them to the coastal ocean in a
steady flow. Wastewater discharges from many point sources
(effluent) flush out over three billion gallons a day from
the Hudson, Passaic, Hackensack, and Raritan River systems.
The effluent contains the treated discharges from municipal
and industrial sewage treatment plants. In addition,
agricultural and urban storm water runoff, accidental and
illegal spills of toxic materials and liquid runoff from
landfills contribute pollutants to the rivers and eventually
to the ocean. The final source of pollutants to the ocean
is atmospheric fallout of air pollution. The prevailing
winds carry industrial and motor vehicle air pollutants over
the ocean where they fall onto the ocean's surface.

III. The Controls Over Ocean Pollution

ocean disposal of wastes is regulated by both the
Federal government and the States of New Jersey and New
York. The states have jurisdiction over inland discharge
sources and out to three miles from the coastline (this area
is known as the territorial sea). Beyond the 3 mile limit?
federal jurisdiction takes over. Two federal laws, the
Marine Protection, Research, and Sanctuaries Act (Ocean
Dumping Act) and the Federal Water Pollution Control Act
(Clean Water Act) are the primary tools used by the United
States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the U.S. Army
Corps of Engineers (Corps), and the U.S. Coast Guard.

The Ocean Dumping Act prohibits ocean disposal of
certain types of wastes (hazardous wastes, radioactive waste
and floatables). The Act does allow other types of
materials to be ocean dumped provided that the material is
tested to determine that it will not be harmful to the
marine environment. EPA has the regulatory authority to

-3-

issue permits for the disposal of municipal sewage sludge,
dilute acid wastes, and ocean incineration of 'wooden debris.
EPA also designates the location of ocean disposal sites
based on criteria of suitability. The Corps regulates the
disposal of dredged material in the ocean as well as within
the coastal waters of a State. The U. S. Coast Guard has
primary responsibility for surveillance and enforcement of
permitted ocean disposal as well as police power over
illegal or inadvertent ocean disposal activities.

The States of New York and New Jersey have been given
authority by EPA to administer the Clean Water Act within
each respective state. All discharges from municipal sewage
treatment plants, treated industrial discharges, and
landfill, discharges require state permits and strict
adherence to the requirements of the Clean Water Act and
state laws.

Storm water discharges, runoff from agricultural lands,
and urban runoff are generally not regulated by permit and
thus become a major source of pollution into rivers and
streams. In most instances, the states rely on local
governments (the counties and municipalities) to develop and
implement management plans for non-point sources of
pollution. Examples of management activities include street
sweeping, pooper scooper laws, storm water detention, and
best management practices for agriculture.

IV. Ocean Waste Management Activities Regulated by Federal
Agencies

The following sections describe ocean waste management
practices which are regulated by the U.S. EPA and the Corps
of Engineers. Before any permit is issued, the material to
be disposed of in the ocean must be tested to determine
acceptability and it must be demonstrated that feasible land
based alternatives are not available.

A. Municipal Sewage Sludge - Sewage sludge is the solid
portion of human waste. At municipally operated plants the
solids settle to the bottom of tanks during the wastewater
treatment process. The treated liquid portion (effluent) is
discharged through an outfall pipe to a river, bay, or the
ocean. Sewage sludge produced in New Jersey is disposed of
in one of f our ways. It is either ocean dumped (50%),
composted and/or land applied (11%), incinerated (19%) or
taken to out of state landfills (20%). As the State's
sewerage agencies improve their wastewater treatment
plants, more sludge will be produced, as much, as 50%
statewide.over the next 5-10 years.

Six large New Jersey sewerage agencies dispose of
approximately 926,000 dry pounds of sludge into the ocean
each day. This equates to approximately 2.8 million wet

-4-

tons per year or enough sludge to f i 11 3 1/2 towers of the
World Trade Center. The sludge that is barged to the ocean
is approximately 5% solids and 95% water.

The New Jersey sewerage agencies are the Bergen County
Utilities Authority, Passaic Valley Sewerage Commissionerst
Joint Meeting of Essex and Union, Linden/Roselle Sewerage
Authority, Rahway Valley Sewerage Authority and the
Middlesex County Utilities Authority. New York City, Nassau
County, and Westchester County also utilize the ocean to
dispose of sludge. New York dumpers generate an amount of
sludge which could fill 5 towers- of the World Trade Center
each year.

over 150 smaller New Jersey communities have stopped
ocean disposal of sewage sludge since 1976. The United
States Congress mandated an end to ocean disposal of all
sewage sludge by the end of 1981. New York City sued EPA in
Federal Court for the right to remain in the ocean. The
City claimed that Congress had banned only the disposal of
"harmful sludges". The City's sewage sludge had been
previously tested by EPA to determine if it was harmful to
the ocean. Based on EPA's criteria of suitability, the
City's sludge was found to be acceptable for ocean disposal.
New York City won the case and the legal decision was
equally applied to the other eight New York and New Jersey
ocean dumpers. Therefore the nine sewerage agencies
continue to dump under court order. Recently EPA ' has
required that all current dumpers make application for
permits which, if issued, will further regulate the disposal
activities.

In 1984 EPA denied petitions from the ocean dumpers to
continue to use an EPA designated site located near shore
and in shallow water (the so-called 12-mile Site) . All
sludge dumping is being phased out of the 12-mile Site in
favor of a deepwater disposal site off of the Continental
Shelf (106-mile Site). The transition will be completed by
the end of 1987. Scientific evidence thus far indicates
that ocean disposal at the 106-mile Site is environmentally
acceptable.

The current controversy surrounds a negative public
reaction to the ocean and beach incidents of this past
summer and a sweeping call to end all ocean dumping.
Although an appropriate goal may be to advocate an end to
all ocean dumping of sewage sludge, the DEP is faced with
the prospect of regulating two land based alternatives which
are likely to have much more serious environmental
consequences and potential human health risks.

The current ocean dumpers provide sewer service to the
heavily industrialized Northeastern portion of the State. A
combination of industrial wastewater and household

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contaminants result in the sludges having a pollutant
loading consisting primarily of heavy metals and petroleum
hydrocarbons. The disposal options of incineration and
composting with land application each could cause
significant pollution to the air or the groundwater.

'Of (Enlargement of inap
on back inside cover)

If there is a total phase-out of ocean dumping of
sewage sludge, incineration is the only logical alternative.
When f aced with the prospect of an end to ocean dumping by
1981, the New Jersey sewerage agencies all chose
incineration as the way to go. However, when permit
applications were submitted to the DEP it was determined
that the permits could not be issued based on projected
unacceptable air pollution emissions. Since that time the
sewerage agencies have implemented industrial pretreatment
programs to reduce pollutants coming- into their systems.
There has also been advances in air pollution control
technology and incinerator designs. Several of the sewerage
agencies have expressed a willingness to end ocean disposal
if incinerator permits could be obtained and funds provided
to offset the multi-million dollar costs of incinerator
construction.

If the New Jersey sewerage agencies get out of the
ocean, it is not a total solution since 60% of the sludge
volume comes from New York sewage treatment plants. A
bi-state initiative will be necessary to fully end ocean
disposal of municipal sewage sludge.

THE PHASING-OUT OF OCEAN DUMPING:
MUNICIPAL AND INDUSTRIAL. DISCHARGERS
-EPA REGION Il-

1972 1974 1976 1978 1980 19a2 1984 i9as
1973 1975 1977 1979 igat i9a3 igais
YEAR

OCEAN DISPOSAL OF SEWAGE SLUDGE
NEW YORK AND NEW JERSEY TOTALS

*a 3-- @Z
m
Bn V@a
r-1-14

EPA
Kn
h

r2,

1973 1975 1977 1979 i9ai i9a3 i9a5
1974 1976 197a igao 1902 i9a4 igae 199of
YE"
I THE 1990 NUMBER 13 A PROJECTED VOLUME

-7-

B. Dredged Material - Dredged material is sand, silt and
mud which' must be periodically removed from navigational
channels and docking areas throughout the Port of New York
and New Jersey. Natural water depths within the harbor are
far too shallow to permit ocean going vessels to enter the
Port. Channels must be dug and then maintained at 40 foot
water depths in order to accommodate fully loaded vessels.
Dredging is a process of "scooping-out" the mud, sand, and
silt which accumulates in the channels and docking areas.

New York Harbor dredged material ranges from clean sand
taken from the Ambrose Channel (the entrance channel to the
harbor) to highly contaminated muds and silts adjacent to
industrial areas or sewer outfall pipelines. The
contaminents of concern are heavy metals (lead, mercury,
chromium etc.), PCBs, and oil and grease. These substances
can be toxic to marine life and have the potential of
getting into the food chain (i.e. to fish and ultimately to
man). In fact, the pollution stress or load from dredged
material can be significant, as illustrated by the
pie-diagrams on page 9.

It is the general practice for dredged material from
the harbor area to be placed onto barges and transported to
a disposal site approximately six miles east of Sea Bright,
New Jersey. The "Mud Dump Site" is managed by the United
States Army Corps of Engineers. The Corps also has
responsibility for determining the suitability of the
dredged material for ocean clisposal and acting on permits
under the federal Ocean Dumping Act.

The public concern is the near shore ocean disposal of
an average of 7 to 8 million cubic yards of harbor dredged
material each year. That amount of dredged material could
fill up approximately 4 towers of the World Trade Center
annually.

The Corps requires that dredged material from each area
of the harbor be thoroughly tested before it is allowed to
be disposed of in the ocean. The testing involves exposing
marine organisms (a clam, a worm and a shrimp) to a sample
of the dredged material in an aquarium. If a large
percentage of the animals die,- the material fails the test
(this is known as a bioassay). If the organisms survive in
the aquarium for 10 days, they are then placed in a blender
and ground-up. The tissue is then analyzed to determine if
the animals picked up chemical contamination while in the
fish tank (this is known as bioaccumulation). Ocean
disposal is permitted when the proposed dredged material
passes both the bioassay and bioaccumulation tests.

-8-

The dredged material, f or the most part, remains in
-place on the ocean bottom at the Mud Dump Site. The
pollutants are bound to the sediment particles at the site
so dredged material does not pose a threat to beaches or
swimmers. However, dredged material covers over marine life
on the ocean f loor and there is environmental stress to
marine organisms at and near the disposal site.

The U.S. Congress enacted a law in 1986 which requires
the United States EPA and the Corps to f ind a new site at
least 20 miles offshore and relocate the dredged material
disposal from the Mud Dump. Studies are now being conducted
to find an environmentally acceptable location for the new
site.

. For the past ten years, the Corps, the States of New
Jersey and New York, other federal agencies, and various
public interest groups have been searching for alternative
ways to dispose of dredged material from the harbor. Upland
disposal is simply not practical based on the volume of
material and the total lack of disposal sites in the
built-up metropolitan area. Promising alternatives for a
portion of the annual volume include the creation of a
containment island in Lower New York Bay or in Raritan Bay,
filling-in existing holes in the harbor area (technically
known as subaqueous borrow pits), and using clean sand to
re-establish eroded beaches (beach nourishment). Stopping
all dredging is not a realistic option as the Port would
have to close down in 2-3 years because of ! natural build
up of sediments in the channels and docking areas. The Port
of New York and New Jersey generates over $75 billion to our
regional economy each year. If dredging was to stop,
approximately 175,000 people could loose their jobs.

NEW YORK / NEW JERSEY HARBOR
DREDGED MATERIAL DISPOSAL : MUD DUMP
1970 THROUGH 1986

6.0

GA
3

4.8

1.6

1970 1972 1974 1976 1978 1980 1982 1984 1986
1971 1973 1975 1977 1979 i9al 1983 1985
YEAR

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SUSPENDED SOLIDS

AIR

Elk
BARGE
P's

DREDGE
GAGED

URBAN

RUNOFF

ORGANIC CARBON

ASTEWATER

INDUSTRIAL

AIR MUNICIPAL

GAGED
SLUDGE,

DREDGE URBAN RUNOFF

BARGE

Distribution of New York Bight suspended
W

solids and organic carbon Loads.

Source: Contaninant Inputs to the New York Bight; NOAA Technical Memorandum
ERL MESA-6, U.S. Dept. of Conmerce, April 1976

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4W4w
LONG ISLAND
31%00KLYI@
:: i- 9A Rt
41b

LOWER 9AY

40*30'

MUD DUMP
SEWACE SLUDGE

CELLAR DIRT

40'21r

ACID WASTF

Asbury Park
SIGHT APEX LIMITS
Af

40'10'

ZJ&
WOOD INC114ERATION

mag"al Mai"
C

l.i'* , 1
7;--

74-W w 7r4& r3nww

C. Industrial Waste - Most industries have phased-out of
ocean disposal. only two chemica1 companies -- one in New
Jersey and one in Delaware, continue to dispose of a portion
of their wastes in the ocean under permit authority of the
U.S. EPA. The New Jersey company (Allied) disposes of
dilute hydrochloric acid at a site approximately 20 miles
east of Asbury Park. The Delaware company (DuPont) disposes
of dilute iron-acid waste at the 106-mile Site. Extensive
testing and past monitoring have demonstrated that neither
of the two disposal activities result in harm to the ocean
environment. The total amount of industrial waste disposed
of in the ocean is less than 175,000 wet tons, per year,
enough to fill one-tenth of one tower of the World Trade
Center.

EPA's 'regulations state that ocean disposal can only be
considered if feasible land based alternatives do not exist.
Both of the industries have options and the long term
capability of developing land based disposal alternatives.
It appears likely that all ocean disposal of industrial
wastes will be phased-out in the near future.

VOLUME OF WASTE DISPOSAL
AT THE ACID DUMP:
N.Y. BIGHT APEX

1973 1975 1977 1979 1981 1983 1985
1974 1976 1978 1980 1982 1984 1986
YEAR

VOLUME OF INDUSTRIAL WASTE DISPOSAL
AT THE 106-MILE SITE

1973 1975 1977 1979 1981 1983 1985
1974 1976 1978 1980 1982 1984 1986
YEAR

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D. Wood Burning The U. S. EPA regulates by permit the
incineration of wooden debris from the New York New Jersey
harbor area. The material is burned in special steel barges
at a site approximately 20 miles east of Point Pleasant, New
Jersey. Current or pending permits will allow up to 120,000
tons of material (1*2-15 barge loads) to be burned in the
next year.

The wooden debris comes f rom the Corps of Engineers
harbor drif t removal program and the New Jersey/New York
"Harbor Clean-up Program". Both programs 'capture wooden
debris and charred timbers before the material washes out of
the harbor and into the ocean. The drif ting wood in the
harbor is a hazard to navigation and could damage ships.
The Corps operates several vessels which routinely patrol
the harbor and pick-up floating wood. The wooden debris
used to be taken to a land based incinerator. However, air
pollution problems forced the closing of the incinerator
several years ago. The material is now burned at sea.

The New Jersey/New York Harbor Clean-up Program is a
cooperative program with the Corps of Engineers designed to
remove shoreline blight and potential sources of wooden
drift before it breaks loose and floats out into the harbor.
New Jersey's harbor clean-up has been a massive undertaking
with over $50 million being spent over the'last ten years to
remove old piers, pilings, bulkheads, and abandoned vessels.
Much of that material has been burned at the woodburning
site. The State of New Jersey views the harbor clean-up as
a vital element and a catalyst to the economic rebirth of
the State's urban waterfronts.

The public concern centers around the poor record of
sloppy operations by certain burn barge contractors. In
previous years timbers have fallen overboard in transit to
the site or during the burn. The result has been timbers
washing onto bathing beaches or floating timbers causing
hazards to fishing boats and recreational craft. In 1986
and 1987 EPA imposed strict conditions on the operation of
the burn barges. The conditions include fewer burns, no
overloading of barges, requiring a trailing vessel to
accompany the barge to pick-up any material which falls
overboard and increased monitoring. The New Jersey
Department of Environmental Protection has been authorized
by EPA to monitor all burn operations involving New Jersey
originated material.

The real issue is all of the wooden debris in the ocean
and on the beaches that is not associated with the burn
barge operation. Based on the monitoring of the burns this
past summer, the DEP is confident that the wooden debris on
the beaches comes from the New York harbor areas, New
Jersey's rivers and bays, offshore merchant vessels, and the
coastal area itself. The solution to the problem is to

-13-

step-up programs to remove or intercept the wooden debris
before it becomes a hazard. Positive steps,could include an
expansion of the program in the New York Harbor to the
coastal- communities, greater enforcement and public
awareness.

E. Enforcement of Illegal Activities - A federal law
enacted over 50 years ago prohibits the dumping of municipal
solid waste (garbage) in the ocean. Garbage dumping is not
a regulated activity. If it is dumped from a barge, it is
illegal. Anyone caught dumping municipal garbage in the
ocean will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

There is some misunderstanding about garbage barges in
general. The City of New York uses barges to transport
garbage from various points in the City to the Fresh Kills
Landfill on Staten Island. Although the City's barges are
not used for ocean dumping, it is generally accepted that
garbage falls overboard during loading and unloading
operations. Garbage also blows off the barge while in
transit to Fresh Kills. The State of New Jersey has
recently joined a lawsuit initiated by the Township of
Woodbridge against the New York City Department of
Sanitation for sloppy operations at Fresh Kills. The suit
seeks to stop garbage from falling into the waterways and
eventually washing up on the shores of New Jersey.

Another area which requires enforcement of federal laws
and international agreements is pollution from ships on the
high seas. Most commercial ship owners and captains obey
laws which prohibit the discharge of oil or oily substances
in the ocean. However, every once in a while beaches become
fouled with tarballs as a result of discharges of oil from a
ship or f rom an oil tanker cleaning out its tanks with
seawater. The Coast Guard has responsibility f or ensuring
that merchant marine laws are enforced. The Coast Guard
also has primary responsibility for prevention, containment
and clean-up of oil spills both from vessels and from
facilities on land.

At the present time, commercial vessels can legally
dispose of garbage generated aboard ship in the ocean beyond
three miles from shore. This practice has become a major
-issue on a national level. A recent DEP study concluded
that there is a significant potential for wash up of garbage
(including plastics and floatables) from offshore vessels
including recreational craft, fishing boats, and merchant
marine vessels.

The problem of plastics and marine garbage is being
addressed by an international agreement known as MARPOL,
Annex V. The United States will soon become a party to that
agreement. When it becomes operational, ships will no
longer be able to dispose of plastic wastes overboard and
other types of solid waste disposal will be strictly
regulated.

Waste Loadings into New Jersey's Coastal Ocean:
A Comparison of Volumes
Using a Tower of the World Trade Center as the Common Denominator

Sewage.
Slula- j.
81/2Towers per year

Dredged
Material r L.JiL 4 Towers per year

Industrial
Waste ri 1/lo of one Tower per year

Wastewater
Discharge
71/2Towers perDAY
(OVER 27
.f 000 PER YEAR)

V. Ocean Inputs Directly or Indirectly Regulated by the
States

The following sections describe the many small ways
that we indirectly pollute the ocean and what we can do
about it. The principles of indirect pollution are simple;
rivers run downhill to the ocean and our prevailing winds
blow west to east across the State and out over the ocean.
Therefore, every time someone flushes a toilet or drives a
car around the block, a small amount of pollution is
generated and some 'of that pollution will eventually reach
the ocean. The problem is not with our individual actions,
but rather its with all of our small actions put together.
There are approximately 20 million people who indirectly
impact on New Jersey's coastal ocean. Everything we do
which causes pollution has to be multiplied by 20 million.

A. Wastewater - In most developed areas of the New York/New
Jersey region human wastes are processed at sewage treatment
plants (septic systems prevail in rural areas). The States
of New Jersey and New York and the federal government
require the plants to be run properly and provide at least a
secondary level of sewage treatment. Secondary generally
means settling out of the solids, biological processing
(action by good bacteria), and disinfection. Many of the
sewage treatment- plants in the region's older urban areas
are just now upgrading to the secondary level or joining
with existing secondary plants with available capacity.

The State of New Jersey and the EPA have invested
several billion dollars in upgrading sewage treatment plants
throughout the State. Almost all of the older primary level
plants along the coast have been improved or replaced with
new secondary plants over the past ten years. The upgrading
will be completed within a year or so when new plants
serving Asbury Park and the Wildwoods come on line.

WNICIPAL SEWERAGETREATMENT EFFICIENCY FOR
NEW JERSEYS COASTAL REGION, 1976-1966
RARITAN BAY TO DELAWARE BAY
CAPE MAY COUNTY

1976 1986

160 141

120

0 mamy _HC pmem"T sacommy-
ONDW
SICOMANY X.

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Sewage treatment- generally removes 85-90% of the
pollutants so it is not pure water that is discharged into
the receiving waterway. The effluent is discharged to
rivers, bays or the ocean directly. Ultimately all of the
effluent from sewage treatment plants reach the ocean. The
combined volume of treated wastewater from New York City and
Northern New Jersey is staggering. Each day the coastal
ocean receives approximately three billion gallons of
waterwater. This volume currently includes primary treated
wastewater, secondary treated wastewater, industrially
.treated wastewater, and varying amounts of raw sewage and
combined sewer overflows. The volume is sufficient to fill
7 1/2 towers of the World Trade Center each day (over 27,000
towers per year). The cumulative impact of the wastewater
discharges has a major impact on pollutant loading in the
coastal'ocean.

B. Non-point Sources of Pollution Every time it rains
massive amounts of pollutants are washed into streams,
rivers, bays, and directly into the ocean. Non-point
pollution means sources other than what comes out the end of
an outfall pipe from a regulated treatment plant. The
pollutants can enter 'the waterway directly from stormwater
runoff or through storm sewer systems. Urban runoff
-contains oil, grease, heavy metals, chemicals, and litter.
Agricultural runoff contains excessive nutrients
(fertilizers), pesticides, and soil particles. Suburban
areas contain combinations of both urban and ag icultural
pollutants.
once these pollutants get to the ocean a' number of
things can happen. Eighty to ninety percent of the coastal
beach closings are attributable to localized sources of
elevated bacterial pollution from stormwater runoff. During
the past two summers there have been no pollution incidents
resulting from sewage treatment plants along the coast. The
bacteria comes from leaky sanitary sewer lines, cross
connections of sanitary lines into storm sewers and pet
droppings. Agricultural bacterial loadings from upstream
manure piles have resulted in shellfish contamination and
closure of shellfish harvesting in back bay areas. Excess
fertilizer runoff from agricultural lands and suburban lawns
contribute the nutrients that sometimes trigger blooms of
algae in the ocean (the so-called red tides, greeh tides,
and brown tides). The majority of floating litter and
debris that has plagued the beaches of New Jersey comes from
stormwater runoff and flushing of storm water pipes after
heavy rainfalls.

Much can be done to improve our coastal ocean by
controlling non-point sources of pollution. Inexpensive
management practices include: 1) regular street sweeping
7

and maintenance of catch basins, 2) pooper scooper laws to

-17-

control pet droppings, 3) sensible fertilizing of suburban
lawns, 4) litter control and public awareness of littering,
5) best management practices for farmers, 6) stormwater
detention provisions in local laws.

A much more costly task will be the rehabilitation of
thousands of local storm sewer systems and combined sewers
in order to reduce sanitary waste (sewage) from entering the
systems. This aspect of pollution control could cost
billions of dollars and take 10-20 years. Current ongoing
efforts are small and inadequate to address the largest
single problem facing our coastal ocean.

C. Beach Litter - A substantial portion of the mess on our
bathing beaches comes from the people who use the beaches.
It is sad to see miles of white sand strewn with beer cans,
candy and potato chip wrappers, disposable diapers and
styrofoam cups. This material did not wash in from New York
City. Everyone who enjoys the beach has a responsibility to
not litter. The DEP has initiated an anti-litter c*ampaign
entitled "New Jersey Shore - Keep It Perfect". Public
awareness and a commitment by local communities to continue
to clean their beaches are necessary ingredients to solve a
significant part of the overall problem.

The other portion of the problem involves floatable
litter, household garbage, and medical wastes washing up on
the beaches. The events that occurred during the summer of
1987 resulted in significant public outrage. The State of
New Jersey responded with an all out effort to track down
the source of pollution. The State now believes that the
majority of the household garbage and medical waste in the
50 mile offshore slick came from the City of New York. State
and federal law enforcement agencies will seek appropriate
penalties, consent agreements (commitments to resolve the
situation so it won't happen again) and criminal
prosecutions if warranted.

Even if the deliberate acts of garbage dumping never
occurs again, there are chronic sources of floatables which
must be continued to be addressed. The non-point pollution
from urban runoff and storm sewers, the garbage management
problems with Fresh Kills Landfill and transfer facilities
in New York City, and vessel pollution are all sources which
will require constant effort to keep in check.

D. Air Pollution - There has been very little scientific
research or monitoring of air pollutants falling from the
atmosphere into the ocean. However there are two factors
which would indicate that the air pollution generated by New
Jersey's industries, power plants, cars, and trucks
eventually reach the coastal ocean. Winds generally blow
f rom west to east and carry some of the air pollutants out

over the ocean. The other factor is simple what goes up,
must come down.

Air pollutants are measured and regulated to protect
human health. Some pollutants such as carbon monoxide and
particulates are only localized problems when concentrations
remain above the air quality health standard. Other
pollutants such as toxic organic substances and heavy metals
are only now being detected at very low concentrations and
air pollution control standards are just being developed.
These pollutants can be transported great distances in the
atmosphere. It is speculated that rainfall and/or
atmospheric fallout deposit the pollutants on the surface of
the ocean. Scientists have yet to determine what effect
this widespread pollution loading has on the ocean and
living marine organisms.

VI. Other Issues Worth Considering

A. Beach Monitoring - Nowhere in the United States is
there a program that can match New Jersey's Cooperative
Coastal Water Quality Monitoring Program. The DEP along
with the U. S. EPA and county and local health departments
have set up a network of over 300 sampling stations from
Raritan Bay to Cape May. Each week from the Memorial Day
weekend to Labor Day, water samples are taken and analyzed
to ensure that bathing waters are safe for swimmers. In
addition, the general health of the ocean is monitored from
boats and helicopters to predict potential trouble spots.
The DEP and the EPA are concerned with summertime incidents
of massive blooms of algae or depletion of oxygen levels in
the ocean waters (see section VI D. for more information on
these issues).

The cooperative monitoring program's main goal is to
protect public health of ocean and back bay bathers. The
program is systematic with all samples taken on the same day
of the week, uniform laboratory procedures for analysis, and
all sample results measured by the same water quality
standard (200 fecal coliforms per 100 ml of water) . Fecal
coliforms are used as an indicator of bact 'erial pollution.
If the standard is exceeded, a second sample is taken and
analyzed. If warranted, beach closures are recommended.
The public is make aware of weekly beach conditions through
the news media and a toll free telephone line.

The Department of Environmental Protection also has a
program to inspect sewage treatment plants along the coast
to ensure that there are no problem areas which could
result in elevated bacterial levels on the beach. The
inspections are made weekly from Memorial Day to Labor Day.

Although there has been much adverse publicity over
isolated beach closings, the monitoring results demonstrate

-19-

that our beaches have excellent overall water quality in
terms of bacterial pollution. Without the monitoring
program, no one could really be sure that the water is safe
to swim in.

B. Health Study - The New jersey Department of Health is
conducting a one million dollar study to investigate the
public health safety of New Jersey beaches. This study is
being done in cooperation with the Department of
Environmental Protection and the University of Medicine and
Dentistry of New Jersey - Robert Wood Johnson School of
Medicine.

Questions have been raised regarding the water quality
at the shore. Standards used by the EPA and the World
Health Organization measure water quality by bacterial
levels using indicator organisms. Although the ocean along
the New Jersey shore meets these standards, the Department
of Health will be investigating whether illness is occurring
at an unusually high rate in spite of the measured water
quality and if other indicators should therefore be used.

Water associated infections are in general mild upper
respiratory and gastrointestinal illnesses. Such illnesses
often result from causes other than water, such as food or
person-to-person contacts. It is difficult to determine the
cause of a specific case of illness, so the study will be
looking at disease patterns in large groups of people.

The study involves surveying beach visitors and at the
same time testing the ocean for microbial indicators. The
results are analyzed to determine if there is an increased
illness rate. The illness rates and the quality of the
water are compared to see if there is a relationship.

C. Dolphin Deaths - Several hundred bottle nosed dolphins
died during this past summer as a result of an epidemic.
Dead dolphins washed ashore from New Jersey to Virginia.
Although there was much speculation that the dolphin deaths
were the result of man's pollution of the ocean, there has
been no scientific evidence to date that links the deaths
with pollution. What is known is that the dolphins died of
infections from usually non harmful bacteria commonly found
in the dolphins. However, in this instance, the dolphins
immune system which normally fights diseases was broken down
by a virus.

The federal government brought together a team of
scientists to determine the cause of the dolphin deaths.
Thousands of samples of dolphin tissue have been analyzed
for traces of toxic pollutants and so f ar, there is no
evidence of chemical contamination. The scientists are
still working and expect to release their findings and
conclusions before the end of the year.

-20@-

D. Algal Blooms - Al-gae is any of a group of very small
non-vaacular plants that live in water. Algae is the
greenish material that grows on the inside glass of fish
tanks. In the ocean there are many types of algae including
phytoplankton (microscopic plants). This plant material
when in balance provides a food source for a variety of fish
and other marine organisms. However, under certain
favorable conditions a population of algae experiences
explosive growth. This is called an algal bloom or more
commonly known as red-tide, brown tide, or green tide. The
favorable conditions in the ocean include warm water, lots
of sunshine, calm seas and the presence of excessive
nutrients. When these conditions occur, an algal bloom
could spring up over a large coastal area, sometimes
measured in hundreds of square miles.

Algal blooms are very common worldwide. off of the New
England coast and western Florida some algal blooms are
toxic to f ish. In New Jersey we are fortunate not to have
blooms of any toxic species of algae.

During the summer of 1984 and 1985, algal blooms
(green-tides) were responsible for extensive areas of
greenish colored water off of the southern New Jersey
coastline. In 1976 a massive algal bloom caused a fish kill
along the New Jersey coast. Algae is relatively short
lived. In 1976, when the bloom died-off the material sank
to the bottom of the ocean and began to decay. The decaying
process sucked all the oxygen from the bottom water and
without oxygen, bottom dwelling fish and shellfish died.
The whole mess washed up on shore during the middle of the
month of August.

Under more normal conditions small localized algal
blooms occur each summer. The decaying material looks ugly
and smells bad. Sometimes when it washes up on the beaches,
people make the mistake of calling it sewage sludge. It is
interesting to note that the green tides which were so
prevalent in 1984 and 1985 have not reappeared during the
past two summers.

Although algal blooms are largely a natural phenomenon,
man-made pollution can affect the occurrence and the
intensity of a bloom. Storm water runoff from the land
provides the excess fertilizer (nitrogen and phosphorus)
that could possibly trigger the bloom. Other causative
factors may be equally or more important. The scientists
are not really sure at this time how our non-point and point
sources of pollution effects algal blooms.

E. Ciba Geigy - Ciba Geigy Corporation operates a chemical
manufacturing plant in Toms River and discharges its treated
industrial wastewater to the ocean one-half mile offshore
through an outfall pipeline. The discharge is regulated

-21-

through a permit issued by the DEP. The U.S. EPA has
recently characterized the DEP permit as one of the most
thorough and stringent permits in the county. In the past
two years Ciby Geigy has significantly reduced its discharge
of pollutants and is in compliance with all effluent limits.

However, the Ciba Geigy ocean discharge has been very
controversial and the subject of severe criticism. It is
New Jersey's only industrial discharge directly into the,
ocean. One of the criticisms is that the ocean discharge
poses a public health hazard to bathers in the vicinity of
the outfall. The Department's Office of Science and
Research provided direction and oversight on a number of
required research studies. Dye studies were conducted to
trace pollutants both offshore and nearshore. The
conclusion reached by DEP in May of 1987 was that the ocean
discharge does not, at this time, pose a meaningful health
hazard to bathers.

F. Artificial Reefs - It has long been known that fish
congregate around reefs. The creation of artificial reefs
is a positive form of ocean dumping. The DEP maintains a
number of artificial reefs twenty or so miles off of the
coast. Construction debris (consisting of concrete and
brick rubble, rock and steel) has been dumped at the reef
sites. old steel hulled ships have also been sunk at the
reefs. Bundles of old tires are ocean dumped to make
excellent fish habitat. The artificial reef program is one
case where ocean dumping of waste materials can produce a
beneficial use without public controversy.

G. Ocean Incineration of Hazardous Waste - For the past
several years there have been proposals to incinerate liquid
hazardous wastes onboard specially designed incinerator
ships at sites in the ocean. One of the four nationwide
sites proposed by the U.S. EPA is 'a North Atlantic site,
approximately 140 miles east of Delaware. No research burns
or operational burns will take place until the EPA develops
detailed regulations. This is not expected until 1989.

The law today provides for the construction and
operation of land based hazardous waste incinerators. There
are currently several in the State and the New Jersey
Hazardous Waste Facility Siting Commission is going through
a public process to locate two or three more commercial
incinerators. There is an acute need for new facilities
with estimates indicating that over 552,000 tons of
hazardous waste being produced by the State's industries and
requiring commercial disposal. To meet this challenge New
Jersey must consider a full range of disposal options
including ocean incineration. Although many questions
remain, DEP recognizes the potential nationwide benefits of
ocean incineration and believes that it deserves further
research and evaluation.

-22-

H. Offshore oil and Gas During the 1970's there was a lot
of concern over the prospect of oil and gas companies
drilling wells of f the coast of New Jersey. The fear was
that a major oil spill could destroy the beaches and the
tourism industry. After much review and debate the oil
companies came and drilled over thirty wells 50 to 100 miles
off of our coast. There were no oil spills, but more
importantly, there were no major finds of oil or gas. over
two billion dollars was spent on dry holes. The likelihood
remains that there is oil and gas deposits on the
Continental Shelf offshore of New Jersey. However it is
unlikely that the oil companies will return until the world
price of oil is increased to make exploration in a "frontier
area" worthwhile. If the companies return, the chance of a
major oil spill is extremely small. The industry over the
last twenty years has had a very good record of preventing
spills from offshore oil platforms.

VII. Saggested Reading

A. U.S. Congress, Office of Technology Assessment,
Wastes in Marine Environment, OTA-0-334
(Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office,
April 1987)

B. Squires, Donald F, The Ocean Dumping Quandary;
Waste Disposal in the New York Bight, State
University of New York Press, Albany, NY 12246;
1983

C. Coalition For the Bight, Conference Proceedings,
An Action Agenda for the Bi-State Bight, Coalition
Offices, 101 E. 15th Street, New York, NY 10003?
May, 1987

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