Controlling Coastal Sprawl

How will New Jersey’s share of 27 million additional people impact watersheds already in peril?

You be the judge, by reading info and linking to stories below about proposed development in Monmouth County…

- What effect will future roads, sewers, and utilities have upon our most precious resource — water — and what can we do to control Coastal Sprawl? (link to below)

WHY IT MATTERS
An astounding 55% of all Americans live within 50 miles of the ocean, resulting in human activity that is destroying our watersheds. Think the ‘circle of life’.

Our groundwater, streams, and rivers— that lead to estuaries and open water — are taxed by so many things: Fertilizers, pesticides, industrial waste, and drainage. The results on wildlife are disconcerting. (link)

By-products of development — some even unknown — are all detrimental to nature, and flood our “Coastal” zones daily. Human activity encourages it (and is ultimately affected).

Please know: Future building along the coast will only increase pollution and disrupt the ‘circle of life’ — demanding your attention, if not your action.

In fact, it’s estimated that half the increase in U.S. population in the next 15 years will live within an hour’s drive from the ocean or other significant body of water.

How will 27 million additional people impact watersheds already in peril? You be the judge.

- ‘Hope’ says our New Jersey leaders and developers realize the current, precarious situation of our water livelihood and will take the right action — but your involvement can only help

We link to stories about ‘Coastal Sprawl’ proposed in Monmouth County below, and what leaders and citizens say about how to forge onward responsibly. (link)

Before that, what can you do?
- Learn about the water cycle (link)
- Consider effects of new roads, sewers, and utilities (link)
- Commit to responsible action (link)

THE WATER CYCLE
The Earth is 97% water, from which all life is derived. A simple look at our local ecosystem would include:

· Rainwater absorbed by the ground
· Groundwater forming into streams
· Streams combining to form rivers
· Rivers filtered by “wet-land” areas, leading to the ocean
· Oceans receiving the rivers, and beginning the water cycle again

This natural process — and all life supported by it — becomes obstructed by our activities, which divert, pollute, and otherwise threaten its collapse.

WATER UNDER OUR CONTROL
Choosing to manipulate — not harmonize with the ‘Water Cycle’— has been the choice we’ve made to support ‘growth’, mostly in agriculture and industry. We also promote home landscaping and aqua culture for our enjoyment. However, past development did not include forethought to sustain our environment.

We are starting to think differently.

Realize that we cannot forever:

· Dam and reservoir natural water flow to rivers and oceans
· Surface land impervious to water (such as roads and parking lots), causing drainage damaging to our watersheds
· Flow household and industrial waste into sewers leading to the ocean
· Build docks and recreation outlets without destroying habitats

WE CANNOT DO THESE THINGS… without fish and birds essential to the “circle of life” suffering unnecessarily. It’s all related to our other ACTIONABLE ITEMS you can undertake in order to sustain life. Many of us are already redirecting the norm! (link)

MONMOUTH COUNTY HOT TOPICS
Wreck Pond (link)
City of Long Branch Coastal Development (link)
Shark River (link)
etc.