Spruce Run Reservoir Initiative Project

Protecting both the quality and quantity of water supplies is a fundamental purpose of watershed management.The watersheds feeding the Spruce Run Reservoir in Central New Jersey (the States third largest reservoir) are currently among the best quality in the Raritan Basin, but are at risk from changing land uses.Without additional protection of its 40 square mile watershed area, reservoir degradation will occur.The area is 81 percent in private ownership, much of it still undeveloped.However, major State and Federal highways dissect the area.

The goal of the Spruce Run Initiative is to prevent water quality degradation in Spruce Run Reservoir and its tributaries, and also to prevent the loss of reservoir safe yields.Three Townships and two Boroughs have each signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the New Jersey Water Supply Authority (NJWSA) to cooperate in meeting that goal in ways that benefit all partners and result in no loss of home rule.The Spruce Run Initiative has received both local and national recognition.The members of the Initiative focus on the following activities:

• Acquisition of critical lands in the reservoir watersheds.
• Watershed management to control the impacts of new land uses.
• Watershed management to control the impacts of existing land uses.