The plan would include the nine minimum requirements as specified in the NJDEP “Request for Proposals for the SFY 2006 319(h) Grants for Nonpoint Source Pollution Control.” These requirements are listed below.

a. An identification of the causes and sources or groups of similar sources. This will be completed in Tasks 2, 3, 4 and 7, described above.

b. An estimate of the load reductions expected for the management measures. This will be completed in Tasks 5, 6 and 7, described above. The expected pollutant load reductions will be evaluated from the best available literature values and/or simulated by biophysical models.

c. A description of the NPS management measures that will need to be implemented to achieve the estimated load reductions and an identification (using a map and description) of the critical areas in which those measures will be needed to implement this plan. This will be completed in Tasks 5, 6, 7 and 8 described above. The watershed will be delineated into limited numbers of politically manageable and hydrologically consistent subwatersheds for modeling, selecting management measures, identifying critical areas and allocating load reduction to achieve the overall goal and objectives of this project. Maps and Tables will show the management measures will be implemented in each subwatershed for achieving specific load reductions for certain pollutants as identified in the project objectives. Visual assessment of the watershed will be used to determine potential sites for some of the site-specific management measures such as stream bank stabilization, construction of detention basin or wetlands.

d. An estimate of the amounts of technical and financial assistance needed, associated costs, and/or the sources and authorities that will be relied upon to implement this plan. This project will also benefit greatly from vast experiences of the project partners in building, designing, and implementing management measures and BMPs. Estimations of needed technical assistance to implement this Plan will be developed by the partners and the planning committee members. Financial needs of implementation will be estimated. These values will include any necessary permits, materials, engineering costs, educational material expenses, and other factors. The estimation will be based on the results from Tasks 5, 6, 7 and 8 described above.

e. An information/education component. The project partners will develop detailed fact sheets, newsletters, and informational bulletins and distribute them to the stakeholders such as township, residents and farmers through their existing avenues. It will also outline educational programs for twilight meetings and educational workshops that would be hosted by North Jersey RC&D, South Branch Watershed Association and Rutgers Cooperative Research & Extension. These educational materials, meetings, and workshops will be targeted to further provide stakeholders information on nonpoint source pollution and assist them in implementing the identified management measures. An interactive project website will also be developed and hosted at NJIT to distribute the project information to the stakeholders and anyone who is interested in the project.

f. A schedule for implementing the NPS management measures identified in this plan that is reasonably expeditious. The planning committee and farmer group meetings will develop a set of political, economic, social and environmental criteria to rank management measures and BMPs. The ranking criteria will be integrated into the SWAT and mathematical programming models to spatially allocate management measures and BMPs, which will be prioritized by iteratively incorporating different criteria in Tasks 7 and 8. The schedule of implementation can be developed based on the results of modeling and planning committee meetings. The project partners have developed a high level of trust among the local stakeholders. All municipalities also support this project. Between these partners, a schedule of implementation will be designed to be both realistic and reasonably expeditious.

g. A description of interim, measurable milestones for determining whether NPS management measures or other control actions are being implemented. The established watershed restoration planning committee in Task 1 will develop interim, measurable milestones to determine if measures or control actions are being implemented. The project partners have a vested interest in the success of this project and will continue to monitor the implementation of the recommended management strategies. It will be recommended that all applications for additional funding of projects recommended in this Plan cite the relevancy of this Plan. It will also be recommended by project partners that a letter to the NJDEP Nonpoint Source Program be used to communicate the implementation of the project as per the Plan’s recommendations. Finally, incorporation of recommendations developed in this Plan by municipal governments will also be important milestones in judging the success of this project.

h. A set of criteria that can be used to determine whether loading reductions are being achieved over time and substantial progress is being made towards attaining water quality standards. Criteria will be developed to link measurable load reductions to effectiveness of management measures. Existing data will provide a solid baseline of watershed conditions prior to implementation of management strategies.

i. A monitoring component to evaluate the effectiveness of the implementation efforts over time. A monitoring plan will be provided as part of the Restoration Plan. This monitoring plan will make use of the locations used in the watershed assessment to gain a “before” and “after” perspective. This sampling plan will also make use of lessons learned during the field reconnaissance of the watershed; this includes accessibility, property ownership, and changes in land use, for instance.

The project team will present the relevant elements to NJIT, who will prepare a preliminary draft of the Watershed Restoration Plan and present it to the project partners and the watershed restoration planning committee for review and comment. As appropriate, their comments will be incorporated into the final draft, which be presented for public comments. After incorporating the public comments, the final plan will be submitted to NJDEP along with collected data.

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