This past Earth Day, Water Watch organized 5 cleanups which drew a total of 721 volunteers who dedicated their Saturday morning to cleanup NJ’s waterways. The record breaking turnout of volunteers throughout the state overwhelmingly expressed the community support for protecting and restoring NJ’s waterways.  From northern NJ along the Passaic River throughout central NJ along the Raritan River and D&R Canal to down along the shore on the Navesink and Swimming Rivers, and on the Long Swamp Creek which runs into the Toms River – one thing was apparent this Earth Day: NJ communities are ready and willing to get their hands dirty to protect and restore NJ’s threatened waterways.

Raritan-wide River Cleanup

On the banks of the mighty Raritan, volunteers from Rutgers including fraternities and sororities, and members of the surrounding community including the New Brunswick and Milltown Environment Commissions, the Lawrence Brook Watershed Partnership, the Middlesex County Conservation Corps, and local high school groups gathered for the 3rd Annual Raritan-wide River Cleanup.  The day was kicked off by Raritan Riverkeeper Bill Schultz, Middlesex County Parks Naturalist Rick Lear, and Alan Godber of the Lawrence Brook Watershed Partnership to highlight the greater issues facing the Raritan River.  Sabrina Nelson of the Americorps Commission rallied the crowd before the groups headed down to the banks of the Raritan and its tributary the Lawrence Brook.  Volunteers pulled out tons of tires, car parts, shopping carts, bottles, cans, an old refrigerator, and even the kitchen sink!  Several other cleanups were also organized along the Raritan River on the same day by the Edison Wetlands Association, Chester Township Environment Commission, and the South Branch Watershed Association as part of the Annual Raritan-Wide River Cleanup.

Monmouth County Navesink-Swimming River Cleanup

Down along the shore volunteers from both Monmouth University and Brookdale Community College were joined by the Middletown and Red Bank Environment Commissions, high school groups including the Neptune High School Team Green and from MAST, Shore Regional and Raritan High School, Boy and Girl Scout Troops, the  Monmouth County Friends of Clearwater, and the Surfer’s Environmental Alliance gathered in Poricy Park to cleanup the banks of the Navesink and Swimming Rivers in Middletown and Red Bank.   The day was kicked off by Middletown Councilwoman Kathleen Horgan, Freeholders John D'Amico and Barbara McMorrow, Middletown Deputy Mayor Pamela Brightbill, and Joe Martin of the Middletown Environment Commission. Middletown Mayor Gerard P. Scharfenberger joined the volunteers during their Earth Day Celebration BBQ after the cleanup, where he was presented with the stream monitoring results of the tributaries to the Navesink and Swimming Rivers from both the Brookdale and Monmouth Water Watch stream teams.

Ocean County Long Swamp Creek Cleanup

Volunteers from Ocean County College teamed up with the local chapter of the Sierra Club and were joined by the Marine Academy of Technology and Environmental Science, Boy Scouts, and the Toms River Environmental Commission to clean the banks of the Long Swamp Creek in Toms River.  OCC President Larson kicked off the event with Senator John Alder and Environmental Commissioners Dierdre Falato and Dave B. McKee.  The groups picked up tons of tires, shopping carts, and bottles to ensure a cleaner stream, which empties out into the Toms River near the Money Island bathing beach.

Princeton D&R Canal Canoe Cleanup

In Princeton, volunteers from the University including the Religious Life Council, Men & Women’s Ice Hockey, Men’s Tennis, Men’s Swimming & Diving Teams and community members jumped into canoes on the D&R Canal to clean the stream and rid the banks of the waterway of invasive species.  The canoes were generously donated by Princeton Canoe Rental. 

Newark Passaic River Cleanup

Along the Passaic River, volunteers from Rutgers University, the Passaic Valley Sewage Commission, the Ironbound Community Corporation, the Boys & Girls Club, Girl Scouts, Lafayette Street School, East Side High School, SPARK Friends of Riverbank Park and People’s Organization for Progress pitched in to cleanup a section of the river along Riverbank Park in Newark.  Alessandra Ducasse President of NJPIRG Newark Chapter concluded the event with a few words about the significance of cleaning up the Passaic, and introduced Assemblyman Coutinho, a Representative to Assemblyman Ralph R. Caputo, and Nacy Zak of the Ironbound Community Corporation, all of whom expressed their appreciation for the volunteers’ time and hard work. 

Water Festival for Kids

This year also marked our 1st Annual Water Festival for Kids in Piscataway.  Twenty students from Rutgers taught 2 Brownie Troops, 1 Daisy troop and 1 Junior Girl Scout troop about the importance of protecting our waterways and conserving our water for future generations. Kids enjoyed ice cream float acquifers, participated in water races, and strung beads into water necklaces while learning how they can help solve our water pollution problems as stewards of our waterways.

Water Watchdogs

This year we were excited to recognize Water Watchdogs throughout the state in an effort to honor the local stewards of our waterways and show our commitment to continuing to work with these groups in the future to ensure the long-term stewardship of our waterways.  Water Watch recognized Scott Yaede and the New Brunswick Environment Commission, Alan Godber and the Lawrence Brook Watershed Association, Joe Martin and the Middletown Environment Commission, Mayor Scharfenberger and the Middletown Town Council, Brookdale Community College’s PTK student group, Brookdale faculty member and Water Watch advisor Cari Gigliotti, the Rutgers University Environment Council, Steve Hiltner of Princeton Friends of Open Space, and the Ocean County Chapter of the Sierra Club.