yeah, i'll make sure the water is from NJ...-g-
SURFACE WATER QUALITY:
Sixty-eight percent of the 1,617 surveyed stream miles have good
water quality that fully supports aquatic life, but New Jersey?s high
population density threatens these waters. Bacteria (which indicates
unsafe swimming conditions) and nutrients are the most common
pollutants in rivers and streams. All of the State?s lakes are believed
to be threatened or actively deteriorating. Bacterial contamination is
the most widespread problem in estuaries, impairing both shellfish
harvesting and swimming. Other problems include nutrients, low
dissolved oxygen concentrations, pesticides, and priority organic
chemicals. Major sources impacting New Jersey?s waters include
municipal treatment plants, industrial facilities, combined sewers,
urban runoff, construction, agriculture, and land disposal of wastes
(including septic tanks).
GROUND WATER QUALITY:
There are currently over 6,000 ground water pollution
investigations under way in New Jersey. The most common
pollutants found in ground water are volatile organic compounds,
metals, base neutral chemicals, acid-extractable chemicals, PCBs,
and pesticides. Underground storage tanks are the most common
source of ground water contamination, followed by landfills, surface
spills, and industrial/commercial septic systems. New Jersey
adopted new ground water quality standards in 1993 that revise the
ground water classification system and establish numerical criteria
for many pollutants. The standards also protect good ground water
quality from degradation by future activities. |
