1.0       Introduction

A resolution of the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, dated April 15, 1999, identified environmental restoration within the Hudson-Raritan Estuary (HRE), including the creation and enhancement of aquatic, wetland, and adjacent upland habitats as specific areas of interest. In response, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers – New York District (USACE-NYD) initiated a reconnaissance study to identify and inventory water resources and sediment-related problems and needs in the HRE. The study was performed under the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Civil Works Program. Problems were evaluated to identify potential environmental restoration projects in the HRE that met the criteria for federal involvement and that had strong sponsor/local support.

On April 23, 2003, the District Engineer from the USACE-NYD and the Executive Director for the New Jersey Meadowlands Commission (NJMC) (the non-federal sponsor), endorsed the Project Management Plan (PMP) for the Ecosystem Restoration Study (ERS) for the Hudson-Raritan Estuary – Hackensack Meadowlands, New Jersey (Meadowlands). The purpose of the PMP was to describe the process that will be undertaken during the Meadowlands Feasibility Study (Meadowlands FS). The Meadowlands FS will determine the feasibility of environmental restoration and protection projects relating to water resources, wildlife habitat, and sediment quality within the Meadowlands, and culminate in recommendations for USACE-NYD project implementation, while also providing recommendations for programs or projects to be implemented by other agencies or local stakeholders. This watershed approach will also result in a working tool for the Meadowlands that will be incorporated into ongoing efforts, including the larger Hudson-Raritan Estuary Feasibility Study, with a view towards a comprehensive ecosystem restoration approach.

The USACE-NYD and NJMC, in coordination with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), identified two primary issues to be addressed in the Meadowlands FS:

1.      A single comprehensive Meadowlands-wide analysis of ecosystem restoration opportunities to be used as an implementation plan for future restoration with in the Meadowlands, including but not limited to analysis and recommended solutions to salt marsh restoration, infrastructure encroachments on tidal flow, water management control structures, contaminated sediment impacts on biota, impact of brownfield sites on coastal habitat, benthic habitat restoration, and refuse landfill impacts on coastal habitat; and

2.      Initial ecosystem restoration efforts at specific sites identified as Tier-1 (i.e. priority) restoration sites.

Concentrating on these needs, the PMP identified numerous potential restoration actions and sites based on a literature review, agency coordination, and field investigations.

To facilitate and focus the scope of work development associated with the Meadowlands FS, this Meadowlands Environmental Site Information Compilation (MESIC) was conducted to identify and catalog available, relevant data. The existing data is organized in this report to facilitate a determination of data gaps and needs, so that a strategy can be created for the substantial data collection effort required for the Meadowlands FS. It is anticipated that the MESIC will serve to advance the Meadowlands FS and eliminate duplication of data previously collected and recorded.

1.1       Purpose

The two primary purposes for the MESIC are: 1) to form a baseline of available, relevant information on the various technical areas for each of the MESIC sites, and 2) to facilitate the coordination of potential restoration-related actions within the Meadowlands with the involved regional stakeholders and public.

1.2       Description

The MESIC was conducted in full coordination with the USACE-NYD, the NJMC, and the USFWS. The data investigation centered on 50 sites within the Meadowlands, but also included data relevant to the Meadowlands as a wetland complex, so a “Meadowlands-wide” category was included. The 50 sites were selected based upon four site categories.

• Existing Restoration, Preservation, and/or Mitigation Sites

Existing Restoration/Preservation Sites are wetlands sites within the HMD that have either been restored or preserved to enhance water resources, wildlife habitat, and sediment quality. They are being included for use as bio-benchmark and reference sites for the Candidate Restoration/Preservation Sites.

• Candidate Restoration/Preservation Sites

Candidate Restoration/Preservation Sites are sites within the HMD that have the potential to be restored or preserved as wetlands to enhance water resources, wildlife habitat, and sediment quality. These sites would require further investigation under the Meadowlands FS before USACE-NYD project implementation.

• Waterbodies and Other Wetlands

Waterbodies are waterways within the HMD whose water and/or sediment quality have the potential to be enhanced, and are also pertinent reference sites for the Candidate Restoration/Preservation Sites. Other Wetlands are wetlands sites within the HMD that could possibly have applicable reference data for the Candidate Restoration/Preservation Sites.

• Existing/Potential Remediation Sites

Existing/Potential Remediation Sites are upland landfill sites within the HMD that either have been remediated or have the potential to be remediated to enhance water resources, wildlife habitat, and sediment quality. These sites would require further investigation under the Meadowlands FS before USACE-NYD project implementation.

Data collection for the Meadowlands and specific sites will remain an on-going process that will be important to continue as the Meadowlands FS progresses. This report represents the initial, baseline data collection effort for 50 selected sites of interest, as well as the Meadowlands, current as of May 2004. Similarly, the 50 sites represent the majority of sites within the Meadowlands that were relevant to the comprehensive ecosystem restoration approach as of May 2004, as well as those sites for which relevant data was available as of May 2004. The data collected is not all-inclusive, nor is the list of 50 sites the final list of candidate sites anticipated to result from the Meadowlands FS.

Table 1-1 lists the fifty MESIC sites, grouped by site category. Figure 1-1 presents the boundary of the Meadowlands, along with the boundaries of the fifty MESIC sites, which are grouped by site category.

Table 1-1:  MESIC Sites

Table 1-2 lists the block and lot information for the 50 MESIC sites, grouped by site category.

Table 1-2:  Block and Lot Information for the 50 MESIC Sites

Table 1-3 lists the upland parks and recreation areas that were included in the original list of MESIC sites. However, it was determined that while these areas will be important components to consider in the comprehensive ecosystem restoration approach for the Meadowlands, they would not provide specific data that is relevant to the advancement of restoration or preservation of the candidate sites. These areas are labeled on NJMC’s Green Map, presented as Figure 1-2.

Table 1-3:  Upland Parks and Recreation Areas in the Meadowlands

The initial list of MESIC sites also included Bashes Creek, Cantanzaro Property, Doctor’s Creek, Viola Landfill, and Desiderio Landfill. Based on a lack of acquisition potential, shortage, and/or overlap of available data, and irrelevance to HMD restoration projects, these sites were removed from the MESIC site list.

While a vast amount of data exists for the Meadowlands, the MESIC focuses on that data that will be useful in accomplishing the goal of the Meadowlands FS – determining the feasibility of environmental restoration and protection projects relating to water resources, wildlife habitat, and sediment quality within the Meadowlands. These types of projects will include the aquatic, wetland, and upland areas that fall under the four site categories listed above. The MESIC also focuses on data that is relevant to the

specific site’s intended purpose (i.e. reference data for an existing site, baseline data for a candidate site, either reference or baseline data for a waterbody, or remediation data for a landfill) and readily available to the USACE-NYD, NJMC, and USFWS for use during the Meadowlands FS.

Ten data categories were established to organize the useful and relevant data that was collected. These categories cover the many different topics that are applicable to a comprehensive ecosystem restoration approach. For the 50 sites, plus the Meadowlands-wide category, documents were cited, abstracted, and then listed where appropriate under one or more of the following ten data categories:

A.  Survey, Maps, and GIS

Includes topographical data, aerial photographs, historical maps, and Geographical Information System (GIS) datasets.

B. Real Estate/Ownership

Includes information on past and present owners, as well as acquisition information.

C.  Site History & Land Use

Includes current and past site history and land use description and information.

D.  Biological Studies – Fauna

Includes studies, assessments, and surveys for birds, benthic organisms, fish, and other wildlife, as well as any threatened/endangered species information.

E. Biological Studies – General Environmental

Includes wetland delineations and assessments, vegetation studies and surveys, and other general environmental information.

F. Geotechnical

Includes soils and geology data.

G. Hydraulics and Hydrology

Includes surface water (stormwater and surface runoff), groundwater, flood control, hydrologic structures, and general river/stream/creek data.

H. Water and Sediments

Includes water quality, contaminant, and sediment data.

I. Historical/Cultural Resources

Includes historical and cultural resources assessments and other information.

J. Restoration/Remediation Design Plans

Includes conceptual, preliminary, and final restoration and remediation design plans, as well as plans for relevant structures or other site construction activities.

For each of the fifty sites, the MESIC report includes a one-page site information fact sheet and a more detailed site report. Both the fact sheets and the site reports contain general site information including: site category; location; current land use; location; size; current ownership (where applicable); and a brief site description. The fact sheets also include a site-specific map and photograph, and a summary description of site-specific data available under each of the ten data categories. Along with the general site information, the site reports contain the site-specific citations and abstracts listed under the appropriate data categories. It should be noted that many citations within the Meadowlands-wide site report, primarily in the Survey, Maps, and GIS data category, are also applicable to the fifty sites for use as general baseline information. The site information fact sheets are contained in Section 1.5 and the site reports are located in Section 3.2.

The MESIC report also includes a site matrix table, which contains cells corresponding to each of the 50 sites and each of the ten data categories. A number from “1” to “4” is assigned to indicate the level of usefulness for the data corresponding to the site and the data category represented by that cell. In general, usefulness was assessed based on the data’s level of detail, substantiating documentation, age, and relevance to the assessment of ecological restoration needs and design concepts in accordance with the specific data category. The level-of-usefulness assignments are explained in further detail in Section 2.0; the site matrix table is in Section 2.1.

Data for the MESIC report was cataloged or collected from various sources associated with federal and state agencies, Rutgers University, and private firms, including:

• Meadowlands Environmental Research Institute (MERI) Library – electronic files;
• MERI/NJMC Staff ;
• USACE – NYD regulatory files: 1992 – present;
• USACE – NYD Project Management Plan (January 2003);
• EnCap Golf Holdings, LLC;
• USFWS;
• Rutgers University; and
• The Louis Berger Group, Inc.

Contact information is given for these sources in Section 3.0 of this report.

1.3              Study Area Description

The study area for the MESIC is the Meadowlands, located in Bergen and Hudson Counties, New Jersey (see Figure 1-1). The Meadowlands encompasses 32 square miles or 19,730 acres across ten communities in Bergen County and four in Hudson County. These communities are:

·         Bergen County: Carlstadt, East Rutherford, Little Ferry, Lyndhurst, Moonachie, North Arlington, Ridgefield, Rutherford, South Hackensack and Teterboro; and

·         Hudson County: Jersey City, Kearny, North Bergen, and Secaucus.

As an integral part of the HRE, the Meadowlands significance lies in it being one of the largest wetland complexes remaining in the HRE ecosystem, as well as being one of the largest contiguous blocks of open space in the highly developed landscape of the New York City metropolitan area. The approximately 8,400 acres of wetlands and waterways that remain are especially significant for concentrations of federal trust species and state listed species of concern, including waterfowl, wading birds, shorebirds, raptors, anadromous fish, estuarine fish, and terrapins. Many of the wetlands in the Meadowlands are degraded due to physical disturbances, such as filling and alterations to natural hydrologic connections. Leachate contamination from extensive landfills in the area is common. Numerous point sources, stormwater runoff from developed areas and highways, and other non-point sources have severely degraded water and sediment quality in areas of the habitat complex.

1.4       Site Information Fact Sheets Description

For each of the 50 sites, as well as the Meadowlands-wide category, a one-page fact sheet summarizes the more detailed site reports contained in Section 3.2. The top half of the fact sheets contain general site information including: site category; location; current land use; location; size; current ownership (where applicable); and a brief site description, as well as a site-specific map and photograph. The bottom half of the fact sheets list a summary description of site-specific data available under each of the ten data categories.

1.5       Site Information Fact Sheets

This section presents the site information fact sheets grouped by site category (Existing Restoration/Preservation Sites, Candidate Restoration/Preservation Sites, Waterbodies and Other Wetlands, and Existing/Potential Remediation Sites). Each site category is preceded by a map showing the sites within that specific category (Figures 1-3 through 1-6).