NJDEP has recently released a report on ‘natural capital’ in New Jersey – overall $20 billion/year. This includes both ecosystem services and ecosystem goods. It turns out that water provides a very prominent portion of the state's natural capital. For example, the report cites wetlands as providing over 90% of the value of ecosystems services, primarily from freshwater but also saltwater wetlands (about $9.4 billion/yr for freshwater and $1.2 billion/year for saltwater). Water resources are an important contributor to ecosystems goods.

To see the report for yourself, visit http://www.state.nj.us/dep/dsr/naturalcap/

We'd like to hear your thoughts about the report itself and what it means (or should mean) to various interests - government officials, developers, academia, advocacy groups, etc.

New Jersey DEP has unveiled revolutionary new water quality rules that would protect 910 miles along 15 major rivers and their tributaries. The stretches of river and stream would be given Category One protection, restricting future development within a 300 ft buffer on both sides of the waterway. Although the protections are piecemeal, with portions of waterways protected, this is an ambitious move by the state to protect water quality and supply. Additionally, the new rules will prohibit sewer systems on environmentally sensitive land, and overall there are several proposed changes to wastewater rules. The proposed rules can be found at www.nj.gov/dep/rules/notices.html (Surface Water Quality Standards, Category One; and Water Quality Management Planning rules).

Do these rules go too far or not far enough? Is it too little too late or the right amount of protection at the right time?

A new, high-profile report was recently released by the National Academies of Science about water management in the Colorado River Basin. The report, Colorado River Basin Water Management: Evaluating and Adjusting to Hydroclimatic Variability, warns that if current trends continue, shortages and low streamflow will become the norm. The study shows that average flow has historically fluctuated more than previously thought, throwing the current water allocation scheme into question. Also, evidence suggests that warmer temperatures in the future will reduce streamflow and water supplies through reduced snowpack and increased evaporation. According to In Focus magazine, the new data are prompting discussion among water managers in many arid parts of the western US where the Colorado River is the main source of surface water. You can find the complete In Focus article at http://infocusmagazine.org/7.1/env_colorado_river.html.

Rapid population growth in the region has led to sharply rising demand for water. The report warns that technology and conservation will not provide a panacea for coping with water shortages in the long run. Do you agree? What strategies should be employed? How do transfers of water rights from agricultural to municipal uses figure into the equation? What can New Jersey learn from this report?

A recent publication in Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry presented evidence that brief exposure to sewage sludge could alter the reproductive behavior of goldfish due to the estrogenic compounds found in the sludge (Schoenfuss, H. L. et al. 2007 Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry Vol. 21, No. 10, pp. 2185–2190). The presence of female hormones in wastewater residuals and in water that receives combined sewer overflows is a matter of great concern. NJWRRI is currently funding research on the presence of such compounds in waters that receive sewer overflows and treated wastewater, in the hope of developing better regulations for these compounds.

What knowledge is there of endocrine compounds in wastewater, combined sewer overflows, or wastewater residuals in New Jersey? Is this something that we should be paying more attention to? Something that’s not as well understood as it needs to be? Or not a problem here?