Comprehensive Restoration Planning in the Lower Passaic River Watershed

Peter. M. Weppler (1) and Lisa A. Baron (2)

(1) USACE, Environmental Branch, 26 Federal Plaza, New York, NY 10278-0090, Phone 917-790-8634, Fax:  212-264-0961, email: peter.m.weppler@usace.army.mil

(2) NJDOT, 1035 Parkway Avenue, 3^rd floor MOB, Trenton, NJ 08625-0837, Phone: 609-530-4779; Fax: 609-530-4860, email: lisa.baron@dot.state.nj.us

Restoration of urban rivers presents fundamental challenges because of the complexity of these highly industrialized degraded urban river ecosystems.  Restoration strategies need to recognize and then restore the system as a whole (structure, function and dynamics) in a comprehensive manner.  The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) along with the project sponsor, New Jersey Department of Transportation, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) are developing a holistic watershed based solution for the Lower Passaic River.  The agencies have also formed a partnership with the NJ Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP), National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) to implement the program.  The agencies in cooperation with all stakeholders have to continue to work towards finding solutions to the many complex problems of this urban river.

The river has a long history of industrialization, which has resulted in degraded water quality, sediment contamination, loss of wetlands, and abandoned or underutilized properties along the shore.  This comprehensive, cooperative study provides an integrated approach for achieving remediation and restoration in order to fulfill the diverse utopian visions for the future of the river. This study is also one of the pilot projects under the interagency (USACE/EPA) Urban River Restoration Initiative (URRI) to foster the commitment by both the USACE and the EPA to concurrently remediate and restore complex systems.  The URRI maintains each agencies regulatory authorities and preserves the polluter pays principles for remediation.

The overall project goals include creation and restoration of habitat, improvement of water and sediment quality, enhancement of floral and faunal communities, and the support of human use (e.g., improve public access, recreation, navigation, flood storage, public education, etc.).  The study will produce a Comprehensive Restoration Plan (CRP) for the Lower Passaic Watershed that will meet these project goals.  The CRP will include site specific recommendations that will result in ecological and human health risk reduction, improved aquatic and upland habitat, wetland creation and enhancement, decreased contaminant loading in the harbor, decreased cost of harbor navigational dredging and overall economic revitalization of the region. 

The plan shall include the development watershed and project objectives, development of a plan for proceeding with restoration activities and the sequencing of activities.  This CRP can be a blueprint for the future that all stakeholders can utilize.