Within Watershed Management Area 17 (WMA17), New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) has designated two watersheds as priorities for the implementation of water quality management plans (WQMPs). These are the upper Salem River and upper Cohansey River watersheds.

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Sublist designations

NJDEP assigns impaired water body segments a sublist designation, briefly:

• Sublist 1 - All designated uses attained.
• Sublist 2 - Designated use attained, though not all designated uses attained in the unit.
• Sublist 3 - Insufficient data.
• Sublist 4 - Designated use not attained, but TMDL not needed because TMDL already exists, impairment is not from human pollution, or other appropriate regulations already exist.
• Sublist 5 - TMDL needed.

(NJDEP definition of sublists here )

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Upper Salem River

NJDEP has designated the Salem River upstream of Woodstown Borough as a priority watershed for the implementation of a WQMP. For these stream segments, a TMDL has been approved for fecal coliform bacteria, proposing an 84% reduction in the loading of these bacteria from non-point sources (TMDL document here ). Additionally, these segments are impaired for phosphorus, resulting in their inclusion on sublist 5 for phosphorus.

Some helpful links

• Rutgers Water Resources Program  information on upper Salem River restoration plan
• Watershed Restoration Plan for the Upper Salem River Watershed: Phase I Report (2006)
• Appendices for above report. (Maps of upper Salem River).
• Final Data Report and Plan not yet available for the upper Salem River.

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Upper Cohansey River

NJDEP has designated the Cohansey River upstream of Seeley Lake as a priority watershed for the implementation of a WQMP. For these stream segments, a TMDL has been approved for fecal coliform bacteria, proposing an 66% reduction in the loading of these bacteria from non-point sources. Additionally, these segments are impaired for phosphorus, lead, pH, and aquatic life, resulting in their inclusion on sublist 5.

Some helpful links

• Rutgers Water Resources Program information on upper Cohansey River restoration plan
• Upper Cohansey Model Report - December 4, 2009
• Upper Cohansey Data Report - December 4, 2009
• Upper Cohansey Final Restoration Plan - April 5, 2011
  

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