Working with a team of stakeholders and consultants from the NJ Water Supply Authority, Princeton Hydro, and New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) staff of the Water Resources Program, a Manalapan Brook Watershed Protection and Restoration Plan was approved by NJDEP in 2012, making the projects of the plan eligible for funding through the federal 319h program established by the Clean Water Act of 1972. The primary plan goal is to implement best management practices and green infrastructure measures to lower the rate of total suspended solids in local water bodies caused by erosion and runoff from developed areas in the Manalapan Brook Watershed. The plan included two demonstration projects: a rain garden and a 100 linear foot of a lakefront vegetation buffer. See links, below for the plan document, sign formats and brochures on these projects.

In 2013, NJDEP authorized $500,000 for the implementation of the first five Phase One projects as well as a NJDEP approved project addressing the improvement of the zoo enclosure pond in Middlesex County’s Thompson Park. The remaining Phase One projects involve “state of the art” detention basin retrofits in Monroe Township, Middlesex County and Manalapan Township, Monmouth (in the headwaters of the watershed); a stream segment restoration with grade improvements in Monroe Township; and an additional 500 linear feet of shoreline re-vegetation at Manalapan Lake. The remaining list of proposed projects of the plan is anticipated to be achieved through subsequent 319h grants over the next 10 years. Public outreach and education materials are being developed in Phase One.

• Manalapan Brook Watershed Protection and Restoration Plan
  • Appendix A
  • Appendices B - L
• Build a Residential Rain Garden Brochure
• Thompson Park Rain Garden Interpretative Sign
• Google Earth Manalapan Watershed Projects Map

Recent Activity

As part of the education and outreach component of this program, The Rutgers University Middlesex County Cooperative Extension Service is developing a series of descriptive and instructional videos explaining the program in addition to construction and maintenance guides for County and local public works staff. The first of these videos, "Restoring the Manalapan Brook Watershed, An Introduction" can be viewed below.

The original Lower Raritan-Middlesex County Wastewater Management Plan was adopted in 2000 and went through several minor revisions throughout the years. The NJDEP regulations in 2007 required a complete update of the plan. This technical plan addresses the many regional factors impacting wastewater management and relates each of the 25 municipalities in Middlesex County by subwatershed affiliation and in individual municipal chapters. Calling upon assistance from other Middlesex County agencies and local governments for current information and assistance, Division staff authored the new Middlesex County Wastewater Management Plan without outside consultants, saving County taxpayers over one million dollars in outside consultant fees.

The plan provides a comprehensive assessment of regional development trends and potential impact upon sanitary treatment facilities, carrying capacities for areas of municipalities only to be served by individual septic systems within discrete HUC11 sub-watersheds and requires municipal compliance to NJDEP proposed environmental ordinances and phased adherence to septic management plans. The plan discusses the environmental methodology used to identify all environmentally sensitive land to remain at lower density development associated with minimum area requirements of individual onsite septic systems and the composition of future sanitary sewer service areas. The plan horizon of the current update of the Wastewater Management Plan is 2035 with updates required every six years. The process for revision and amendments has been preserved to allow for individual requests. See links below for the procedure to request revisions and amendments.

In early 2009, a group of concerned environmentalists, regional and local officials, and consultants joined staff from Rutgers to form the Sustainable Raritan River Collaborative (SRRC) to craft an action agenda that meets the goals of the U.S. Clean Water Act, restoring and preserving New Jersey’s Raritan River and its tributaries, including the Raritan Bay. This network of organizations and agencies in the Raritan River region work together to promote the integration of sound planning and a vision for the Raritan River region that balances social, economic, and environmental objectives. The Collaborative is facilitated by Rutgers University (as the Sustainable Raritan River Initiative) with input and guidance from a Steering Committee.

The Division of Environmental Sustainability is a leading Middlesex County participant in the Sustainable Raritan River Collaborative, supporting and developing projects and programs for the Lower Raritan River watershed within the lands of Middlesex County.The Division provided significant input to the SRRC on regional focus groups developing to the Sustainable Raritan River Action Plan.

With encouragement and considerable input from Division staff, the New York-New Jersey Harbor & Estuary Program has supported projects in the Lower Raritan River watershed and accessed funds for two projects within Middlesex County. In 2011, the Division participated in an Association of New Jersey Environmental Commission (ANJEC) project entitled “Stewardship of the Raritan River” that focused on identifying public access points and public education signage within the Lower Raritan River corridor. In 2012 the HEP launched a Climate-Ready Estuaries project to look at projected sea level rise and evaluate site-specific vulnerability at three publicly accessible recreation areas long the Raritan River: Donaldson Park, in Highland Park, NJ, Old Bridge Waterfront Park in Lawrence Harbor, NJ; and Woodbridge Waterfront Park, a to-be-developed waterfront park in Woodbridge, NJ.

• Sustainable Raritan River - Website of the Sustainable Raritan River Collaborative
• Raritan River Access Points 2009
• NY/NJ Harbor Estuary Grant ANJEC Final Report Stewardship of the Raritan River
• The Lower Raritan River - Ours to Enjoy, Ours to Protect
• The NY-NJ Harbor & Estuaries Program Climate Ready Estuaries Study of some waterfront sites of the Raritan River and Bay in Middlesex County

The Robinson Branch Watershed involves the northern areas of Edison Township (4.85 sq. mi. of 30.7 sq. mi.) and Woodbridge Township (2.08 sq. mi. of 24.49 sq. mi.) in Middlesex County, as well as portions of seven Union County municipalities, for a 22 square mile sub-watershed within Watershed Management Area 7. The Robinson’s Branch discharges to the Rahway River. In 2005, the Rutgers Cooperative Research and Extension Water Resources Program, under the guidance of Christopher C. Obropta, Ph.D., P.E. and with input from both Middlesex County and Union County completed a regional stormwater management plan according to N.J.A.C. 7:8-3.4(a). Middlesex County will consider the recommendations seriously in future watershed planning for this watershed. The contents of this study can be accessed at this link: Regional Stormwater Management Plan for Robinson's Branch.