Nicole Simmons, 732-872-0111, Policy@cleanoceanaction.org

Update on Oyster Creek Nuclear Station’s Final Discharge Permit

     At press time, the NJ Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) is still reviewing public comments submitted in November for the draft discharge permit for the Oyster Creek Nuclear Generating Station in Lacey Township.  According to NJDEP, the staff must brief new NJDEP Commissioner Lisa Jackson on the issues regarding the plant’s discharge and the public comments. 

     Following these tasks, NJDEP will issue the final discharge permit (called a NJ Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit).  There is no estimated date of the final permit’s issuance, but this permit is already 10 years behind schedule.  For COA’s comments on the draft discharge permit, outlining serious marine water quality concerns and impacts on marine life in Barnegat Bay, visit our website (follow links for “Issues/Campaigns” and “Oyster Creek”).

Citizens Can Help the Monmouth County Bayshore Region

     The Bayshore Regional Watershed Council is in the preliminary stages of developing a regional dredged material management plan for the Bayshore in Monmouth County, NJ.  As part of this process, COA will work with citizens and businesses to assess the amount of material that needs to be dredged in the region for maintenance purposes, as well as where and how that material could be beneficially reused.  COA has developed two surveys to gather the necessary information for the groundwork for a sound regional plan: one for dredging needs and the second for beneficial reuse projects.

     Local residents can help gather this information by obtaining copies of the two surveys.  Citizens are asked to visit marinas and related businesses in the region that either dredge for maintenance and operations, or that could beneficial reuse dredged material (e.g., beach replenishment, dune stabilization, landfill capping, fill or construction material, among others).  To find out more about gathering this information or for copies of surveys, please call COA’s Kari Jermansen or Nicole Simmons at 732-872-0111.

Citizen Action Leads to Shut Down of Manasquan River Dredging and ACOE Project in Area Questioned

     Thanks to the watchful eye of concerned citizens, NJDEP took enforcement action against a marina owner that continued maintenance dredging operations in a Manasquan River marina well beyond the deadline put in place to protect spawning winter flounder.  The marina was granted a one-time extension, allowing them to continue dredging until January 13th.  When operations were still not complete, the marina continued to dredge until citizen complaints led NJDEP to shut them down on January 25th.

     Meanwhile, just a few thousand feet away from the marina, the US Army Corps of Engineers (ACOE) was conducting a maintenance dredging operation through January 14th in the channel near the Manasquan Inlet.  Authorization for this federal navigation project was issued in 1983, prior to New Jersey’s adoption of the January 1-May 31 winter flounder dredging restriction.  It seems that federal navigation projects do not require state permits, thus exempting them from the timing restrictions to protect winter flounder in this case. 

     Clean Ocean Action spoke with the project manager for ACOE.  He was recently made aware of the conflict, and plans are being made to coordinate future dredging operations with NJDEP and the federal National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to ensure state and federal restrictions are considered in dredging projects.