BARNEGAT — New Jersey adopted the nation's toughest restrictions on fertilizer today as part of a package of bills signed into law by Gov. Chris Christie to protect the fragile Barnegat Bay from further pollution. Runoff from fertilizer applied to lawns and farms eventually makes its way into waterways and contributes to water pollution and fish-killing algae blooms. The...
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Gov. Chris Christie signed a bill today to protect the Barnegat Bay from further pollution. BARNEGAT — New Jersey adopted the nation's toughest restrictions on fertilizer today as part of a package of bills signed into law by Gov. Chris Christie to protect the fragile Barnegat Bay from further pollution.
Runoff from fertilizer applied to lawns and farms eventually makes its way into waterways and contributes to water pollution and fish-killing algae blooms.
The bills require upgrades to malfunctioning storm drains, force contractors to loosen soil that becomes hard-packed.
A key provision requires that at least 20 percent of nitrogen in fertilizer sold in New Jersey be the slow-release type to prevent it from easily washing into waterways.
Christie signed the bills in Waretown, a Barnegat Bay boating and crabbing community.
"Over the years there have been studies and talks and conversations about taking the necessary steps to save Barnegat Bay, but very little action," Christie said in the clubhouse of a bayfront beach club after signing the bills. "Today you saw action."
Jeff Tittel, director of New Jersey Sierra Club, called the bills "a victory for the environment."
"Without these bills especially, the fertilizer bill, the bay will die," he said. "These bills are each a piece of the puzzle to protect the bay and our environment."
Christie said he was signing "the toughest fertilizer standards in America," and noted the fertilizer industry gave significant opposition to the proposed standards before both sides agreed on the 20 percent nitrogen requirement.
Nitrogen is a major component of water pollution. It leads to algae blooms that deprive water of oxygen and kill fish and other marine life.
It also encourages the growth of stinging jellyfish, which have overrun the bay and rivers near it, including the Manasquan and Metedeconk, making them virtually unswimmable at times and clogging the engines of some boats.
Another essential part of the state's plan to protect the bay is an agreement negotiated last month with the owners of the Oyster Creek Nuclear Generating Station to shut down the nation's oldest nuclear power plant in 2019, 10 years earlier than expected.
It is located next door to Waretown in the Forked River section of Lacey Township.
The plant sucks 1.4 billion gallons a day from the bay into its pipes, and discharges warmer water back into the bay, which hurts water quality. The plant agreed to shut down early in return for New Jersey backing off its demand that it build costly cooling towers to replace the massive water intake to cool the plant.
A fourth Barnegat Bay bill that passed the state legislature was not part of the package signed into law Wednesday. It would establish a "total daily maximum load" for nutrients like nitrogen that can be allowed to enter the bay each day.
Christie said that bill is still in legal review.
Previous coverage:
• N.J. lawmakers pass stricter regulations on fertilizer in effort to clean up Barnegat Bay
• N.J. Assembly is likely to set limits on fertilizer
• Gov. Christie announces plan to protect Barnegat Bay, close Oyster Creek