Riparian Restoration Plan for Agricultural Lands in the Raritan Basin

• Project Partners:
  
  North Jersey Resource Conservation & Development Council
  Natural Resources Conservation Service
  New Jersey Water Supply Authority
  Raritan Watershed Agricultural Committee
  New Jersey Institute of Technology

The Raritan Basin Watershed Management Plan and various stakeholder groups identified stream and riparian restoration as a priority for watershed restoration in the Basin. Since 1986, 32% of historical riparian areas within the Raritan Basin have been converted to urban and agricultural uses.

There are over 120,000 acres of agriculture in the Raritan Basin. These areas include cropland, forage/hay, livestock, orchards, vegetables, berries and Christmas trees, as well as greenhouse, nursery and garden production. Of these acres, approximately 30,000 are within the riparian area delineated by the Raritan Basin Watershed Management Project. Livestock are present on approximately 28% of the farms in the watershed. In 2000, the Raritan Basin Watershed Agricultural Committee published a position paper recognizing riparian restoration as a much needed best management practice and supporting the installation of stream corridor BMPs on agricultural lands. That position paper was endorsed by 15 agriculture groups in the Basin. A clear plan of action is needed in order to implement riparian restoration projects, particularly on agricultural lands.

In 2006, North Jersey RC&D received a Cooperative Conservation Partnership Initiative Grant from the Natural Resources Conservation Service to develop a Riparian Restoration Plan for Agricultural Lands in the Raritan Basin.

Project Objectives:
1. Develop riparian restoration plan for agricultural lands in the Raritan Basin
2. Prioritize of agricultural lands for restoration projects
3. Identify and evaluate available funding sources and institutional needs and methods for implementation of riparian projects

The project team built on a model and data that were developed by the Raritan Basin Watershed Alliance and the NJ Section of the American Water Resources Association's Stream Restoration Committee to identify sub-watersheds in need of restoration. For the CCPI project, more detailed data were necessary to identify riparian buffer restoration sites at the parcel level. These data were developed for the entire Raritan Basin.

Model Elements:

1. Soil Erodibility: The USDA-NRCS Soil Erodibility Index (EI)
2. Hydrologic Sensitivity/Runoff Potential: Modified Topographic Index (TI) from USDA-NRCS
3. Wildlife Habitat: NJDEP Non-game and Endangered Species Program's Landscape Project
4. Impervious Surface: NJDEP LU/LC Data

As the project progressed, the team realized that the model had value for targeting buffer restoration within the riparian area, but also for targeting conservation practice implementation in other areas. Therefore, lands were prioritized both watershed-wide and within the riparian areas.

Agricultural lands were divided into three categories with roughly equal areas: low medium and high priorities for conservation buffer placement. Within the riparian area, approximately 9,000 acres were considered high priority for riparian restoration. Basin-wide, 33,000 acres of land were ranked as high priority for conservation practice implementation.

The CCPI data are being used in NJWSA's Ag Mini-Grants and North Jersey RC&D's AWEP program to help prioritize applications for agricultural practice implementation. In addition, the data are being used in the Mulhockaway Creek, Spruce Run and Sidney Brook riparian buffer restoration planning efforts to prioritize buffer improvement sites.

For more information, contact Kathy Hale

View Our Reports

Riparian Restoration Plan for Agricultural Lands in the Raritan Basin

Maps

Agricultural Lands for Riparian Buffers in Raritan Basin