Water may be murky at Barnegat Bay

By: Phil Gregory

The State Senate and Assembly Environmental Committees held a hearing in Forked River to examine the threat from pollution.

By: Phil Gregory
philgregorynews@gmail.com

Barnegat Bay is one of the largest bays in New Jersey and draws thousands of boaters, fishermen and tourists to the Jersey Shore. But officials say the water quality there is now impaired. The State Senate and Assembly Environmental Committees held a hearing in Forked River today to examine the threat from pollution.

Listen:
[audio: 090731pgbay.mp3]

Fertilizer from yards and farms and increased land development are some of the reasons cited for pollution in the Bay that has contributed to a reduction in shellfish beds and a decline in underwater plant life. Assembly Environmental Committee Chairman
John McKeon says action is needed to preserve what is a $5 million dollar tourism attraction.

McKeon: One of the things we have to do is come with an aggressive ordinance as it relates to utilization of organic fertilizer and organic fertilizer only. I hope that our bond referendum gets through so green acres can be tapped into for the sake of buying a lot of the land that’s environmentally sensitive.

Environmental officials say the Bay is a harbinger of problems facing the entire Jersey Shore and are hoping a solution can be found to prevent the water quality from deteriorating further.