THE ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM….

WATER QUALITY IN SHARK RIVER…

We are well aware of the water quality concerns on Shark River after heavy and prolonged rains. In the summer when we get a dulge of rain from massive storms, it is not uncommon for the “beach water” (including L Street beach in Belmar) to test far outside the enterococci bacteria NJDEP water quality standards for bathing and swimming in the water.

With constant and increasing human activity this is the sad fact for most bodies of water including our ocean water. In Shark River, we have a small and shallow tidal basin that cycles through one full tide cycle each day. It has been said that the “solution to pollution is dilution”, and it can also be said that this “flush” from the tides is effective enough to reduce the bacteria levels in Shark River after a day of hard rain. But, not every body of water in NJ is lucky like that.

On still water bodies of water the quality can still be a concern from things like blue-green algae.

“Know before you go”….it’s always good to be aware of the water conditions you will be paddling in. New Jersey has fairly decent water sampling programs that monitor many different concerns. Here is a link to NJDEP Algal Bloom Sampling Status website:

https://njdep.maps.arcgis.com/apps/dashboards/49190166531d4e5a811c9a91e4a41677

OUR APPROACH: Many factors are considered in our operational decisions to rent our kayaks, and water quality is one of them.

We care about this issue and we advocate when we can, however we can, to get our community and local governments involved to implement a water testing program in coordination with the NJDEP. It’s a mighty big lift and will take time to do it, but we will always care about this issue and we will do our best to see it through.

Until we see clean water every day, we will always put safety and health first. If there is any concern at all about water quality being out of the ordinary we may cancel our services.

LOCAL ADVOCACY IS WHERE IT STARTS!

  • Join Shark River Cleanup Coalition to get involved and help us help Shark River.

  • Meet up with the wonderful folks with Stroke Your Eco to get involved with regularly scheduled litter cleans ups. We try to partner with them for a “floatables clean up” at least once per season!

  • Deal Lake Watershed Alliance is a non profit group of people passionate about conservation and improving the water quality in Deal Lake. Be sure to join us for one of our partnership guided tour events!

CLEAN WATER NJ

IF WE CARE, WE CAN CLEAN IT UP!

Human activity is largely responsible for the stormwater pollution. Everything that we put on the ground or into the storm drain can end up in our water. Each of us has a responsibility to make sure these contaminants stay out of our water. Whether we have clean water is up to you.