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Coles Brook Update: Mark Your Calendars! By Kathy Urffer As
you may recall, the Coles Brook Restoration, which we are working on in Staib
Park in Hackensack, will include the installation of bioengineering techniques
designed to stabilize the stream banks as well as the reintroduction of native
riparian vegetation. When completed, the project will have restored 750 feet of
streamside habitat along Coles Brook by stabilizing its banks and recreating a
large riparian buffer of native plants, in addition to improving water quality
in the brook. Based on recent water quality tests, great improvement is needed.
Water Quality testing performed on October 11, 2002 showed fecal coliform units
(cfu) at a level of 10800 cfu/100ml which is 54 times the acceptable level set
in NJDEP’s Surface Water Quality Standards N.J.A.C 7:9B. According to this
stream classification, “Fecal coliform levels shall not exceed a geometric
average of 200/100mL nor should more than 10 percent of the total samples taken
during any 30-day period exceed 400/100mL” Additionally, “phosphorus as total P
shall not exceed 0.1 in any stream, unless it can be demonstrated that the
total P is not a limiting nutrient and will not otherwise render the waters
unsuitable for the designated uses.” The phosphorus levels found in the stream
were tested at 0.18mg/L. To
translate this for the NORMAL person, there is too much POOP and phosphorus in
the brook! The poop may come from dogs, geese, or human sewage from a leaky
sewer pipe. The phosphorus may be from soap, detergent, and/or fertilizer that
is running away from people’s lawns. The riparian buffer will slow down water
running-off into the brook and allow it to be filtered by the soil. This will
help to reduce the contaminant load in our waterway. On
March 15th we will have our first volunteer planting for this
project. This volunteer day was originally planned for November 23rd, 2002,
but had to be cancelled at the last minute due to a problem with the trucking
company that was scheduled to deliver the plants. Not to be held back long…
Hackensack Riverkeeper SPRINGS back into action! (heh heh!) This will be
followed by a second day of planting scheduled for May 10th. Mark
your calendars now! So,
if you want to get down and dirty with Hackensack Riverkeeper, plan to join us
on March 15th from 9am until all the plants are in the ground. We
promise plenty of playing in the mud and warm fuzzy feelings at the end of the
day. We will also need ongoing volunteers to water, weed, and generally take
care of the plants. For more information, or to be added to the Coles Brook
Volunteer list, call Kathy at 201-968-0808. The Coles Brook restoration project is a cooperative venture between Hackensack Riverkeeper, the City of Hackensack, and Omni Environmental Services. Funding for the project is provided through a NJDEP grant under Section 319(h) of the federal Clean Water Act to mitigate non-point source pollution. |