Wave of Support Builds To Clean Up The Navesink

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By Joseph Sapia
The rally for the Navesink is well under way – with scientific testing of the river; private organizations working with state, county and municipal governments; and citizens serving as watchdogs.
“Getting involved is absolutely essential,” said Cindy Zipf, executive director of Clean Ocean Action, which has been a major mover behind the rally.
Over the past 10 years, the Navesink River has deteriorated with high fecal coliform counts and depleted oxygen levels, for example. Pollution threats, according to those involved, include human, domestic animal, farm animal and wildlife waste; fertilizers and pesticides; and petroleum products in the 95-square-mile watershed.
“When you’re in Rumson, you’re surrounded by water, being it’s a peninsula,” said Diane Burke, 58, a borough resident. “I’m concerned about the Navesink River. Water is life.”
Burke was one of about 85 attending a second Rally for the Navesink event Thursday, Aug. 11, at the First Presbyterian Church of Rumson. The first was held in late June. The recent Rally for the Navesink program was a combination of forum of reporting, educating and rallying.
Zach Lees, Clean Ocean Action’s coastal policy lawyer, said two scent dogs specially trained to pick up human sewage in water samples, sniffed eight Navesink River samples. They both indicated the presence of waste in five of the eight, disagreed on two and found nothing in one. River monitoring will continue.
“We also saw unknown pipes and interesting things we weren’t sure of,” Lees said. “Right now, we’re just trying to document.”
It is unclear if these pipes leading to the water are discharging pollutants, said Lee. If something is seen seems wrong, it will be reported to the authorities, Lees said.
The state Department of Environmental Protection has been specifically sampling the Navesink River to determine pollution causes and sources since early June. Robert Schuster, interim bureau chief of the DEP’s Bureau of Marine Water Monitoring, said sewage discharges from recreational boats, along with wildlife and domestic animals, are a problem.
In one case, officials found a horse farm on a Navesink River tributary that had horse manure draining into the watershed.
“It is cleaned up and beautiful,” said Schuster, who said officials would not publicly identify the farm or its location.
People are not necessarily doing things purposely wrong, Schuster said. “I think people just aren’t aware,” Schuster said.
Things that can be done to ensure cleaner waters include the proper waste management of domestic animals and proper maintenance of public sewer and private septic systems, Schuster said.
As for recreational boats on the Navesink and Shrewsbury rivers needing to discharge sewage, Monmouth County is making it easy – providing free pump-out boat service on Fridays and Saturdays. Monmouth County is contracting with the Keyport-based New York-New Jersey Baykeeper to operate its “Royal Flush,” a pump-out boat.
Robert Schuster, interim bureau chief of the state Bureau of Marine Water Monitoring, addresses the Rally for the Navesink forum.
Robert Schuster, interim bureau chief of the state Bureau of Marine Water Monitoring, addresses the Rally for the Navesink forum.

As of July 18 this boating season, the Royal Flush pumped 225 boats, collecting 6,500 gallons of sewage, according to the county Health Department. Since the program began in 2001, the Royal Flush has pumped more than 15,000 boats, collecting more than 520,000 gallons of sewage.

In Oceanport, the Water Watch program has been testing water for 30 years and inspiring such action as creating pick-up-after-dog legislation and marking stormwater drains as entry points for non-point source pollution, said Joe Stark, a program member.
Clean Ocean Action said the Water Watch model could be used on the Navesink River.
Further action on the Navesink River could include keeping issues in the forefront by the public writing letters to the editor, organizing community groups and encouraging towns to go green, according to Clean Ocean Action.
Zipf said the approach to being taken to fix the Navesink River pollution is a “grassroots, no-blame game.”
“Find it, fix it,” Zipf said.
Fair Haven Mayor Benjamin J. Lucarelli said taking a green approach is very possible. “It’s not going to take a tremendous amount, in terms of people’s behavior.”
“It’s all there, it’s just about bringing it all together,” said Brian Rice, chair of the Navesink River Municipalities Committee, combining citizens and governing body members of towns on the river.
Red Bank Councilwoman Cindy Burnham is a member of the Navesink River Municipalities Committee.
“I’ve always been an environmentalist,” Burnham said. “Red Bank is surrounded by more water than land.”
“If anybody’s interested, we’d like to hear from you, work with you,” Lees said.
“I’m concerned about the fertilizers,” said Burke, objecting to attempts at picture-perfect lawns along the river. “I don’t see it that way. I think it’s ugly. I’m in a different paradigm.”
In a matter related to the Navesink River, Paul Bologna, director of the Montclair State University Marine Biology and Coastal Sciences Program, reported on clinging jellyfish – an invasive species from the Pacific Ocean that could leave one hospitalized from its sting – that have been found in the Shrewsbury River, which the Navesink River flows into. DNA testing showed the local clinging jellyfish were of the western Pacific Ocean kind, those that have a more venomous sting, Bologna said.
No clinging jellyfish have been found in New Jersey since July 6, when two were located in the Shrewsbury River at Monmouth Beach.
“What we’re thinking is they’re gone for the season,” Bologna said.
It seems the clinging jellyfish were being eaten by a native jellyfish, sea nettles. In the area, sea nettles, which have a lesser sting, have been showing up in high numbers. Sea nettles “might have a silver lining,” Bologna said.
“Who would have thought, ‘Bless the sea nettles’?” Zipf said.
Jellyfish do not need a lot of oxygen, so, “when water quality is degraded, they’re just happy,” Bologna said.
How long clinging jellyfish have been around – perhaps lingering in an immature stage for years – or will they come back is unclear.
“I don’t know if they’re going to bloom tomorrow or in 10 years,” he said.
The next Rally for the Navesink forum is to be held sometime in September.