• Protection
  • Barnegat Bay
    • How To Protect Barnegat Bay

How To Protect Barnegat Bay

The Barnegat Bay Watershed is a 660 square mile area encompassing all of the land and water in Ocean County, as well as parts of Monmouth County.

There are several ways you can help to protect Barnegat Bay:

1. Follow the requirements of the Fertilizer Law.

• Do not apply fertilizer between November 15th and March 1st, when the ground is frozen and/or during or just before a heavy rain.
• Do not apply fertilizer to impervious surfaces or within 25 feet of a waterbody.
• Use fertilizers containing at least 20% slow-release nitrogen and fertilizers that do not contain phosphorous.

For more information about the fertilizer law visit New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Healthy Lawns Healthy Water page.

2. Limit impervious surfaces and opportunities for rainwater runoff from your property.

• Replace impervious surfaces or lawns with native plantings of trees, shrubs and plants.
• Install a rain barrel or rain garden on your property.

The American Littoral Society provides a listing of plants for “bayscaping” in Barnegat Bay on their website.

3. Support sound land use planning in your municipality and county by encouraging:

• Land preservation;
• Better stormwater management practices;
• Low impact development projects;
• Clustering and mixed-use development; and
• The development of a required Water Quality Management Plan.

More information about these topics can be found on PPA’s website under Barnegat Bay or Sustainable Development or at one of the organization links below

Organizations:

Barnegat Bay National Estuary Program

Barnegat Bay Watershed and Estuary Foundation

Save Barnegat Bay

American Littoral Society

Clean Ocean Action

Ocean County Soil Conservation District

State of the Bay Report 2011

4. Get involved by:

• Visiting one of the natural areas or parks in your area;
• Supporting the variety of non-profit organizations, including PPA ;
• Participating in your town council, planning board or environmental commission meetings;
• Educating and sharing information with others.

Participate in the Barnegat Bay Blitz or Visit NJ DEP to learn how else you can get involved.