Natural resource inventory town of hammonton, atlantic county

Download 1.1 Mb.

Page	1/9
Date	02.02.2018
Size	1.1 Mb.
	#39173

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

TOWN OF HAMMONTON

NATURAL RESOURCE INVENTORY
TOWN OF HAMMONTON, ATLANTIC COUNTY

NEW JERSEY

MAY 2008

Prepared For:
Town of Hammonton Planning Board / Environmental Commission

Town Hall

100 Central Avenue

Hammonton, New Jersey 08037

Prepared By:

Adams, Rehmann & Heggan Associates, Inc.

850 South White Horse Pike

Hammonton, New Jersey 08037-2019

Telephone: (609) 561-0482

Telefax: (609) 567-8909

COA# 24GA27973300

ARH #11-90025

TOWN OF HAMMONTON

ATLANTIC COUNTY NEW JERSEY

NATURAL RESOURCE INVENTORY

REVISED: 2008

TOWN OF HAMMONTON PLANNING BOARD

JOSEPH GIRALO, CHAIRMAN SAL COLASURDO, VICE-CHAIRMAN

MAYOR JOHN DI DONATO PAT CASSARIO

FRANK DI MATTEO WILLIAM OLIVO

VINCENZO PENZA EDWARD WUILLERMIN

DR. MICHAEL J. HOZIK

GORDON PHERRIBO, ALTERNATE 1

PHIL DE MARCO, ALTERNATE 2

SHIRLEY GRASSO, PLANNING BOARD SOLICITOR

PATRICIA BERENATO, SECRETARY

ADAMS, REHMANN & HEGGAN ASSOC., INC. – ENGINEER & PLANNING CONSULTANTS

TABLE OF CONTENTS
PAGE
Table of Contents i

List of Figures ii

List of Tables iii

Introduction iv

Section 1.00 Natural Resource Inventory 1
Section 2.00 Topography 2
Section 3.00 Surface Hydrology 3

3.01 Surface Water Quality Standards 4

3.02 Surface Water Quality Summary 7
Section 4.00 Groundwater Hydrology 11

4.01 Groundwater Quality Criteria 12

Section 5.00 Soils 15

5.01 Soils & Septic Disposal Field Function 20

Section 6.00 Vegetation 21

6.01 Upland Complex 23

6.02 Lowland Complex 25

6.03 Wetlands 31

6.04 Threatened & Endangered Plants 32

6.05 Fire Hazard 36

Section 7.00 Wildlife 38

7.01 Mammals 38

7.02 Birds 41

7.03 Reptiles & Amphibians 45

7.04 Fish 48

Bibliography 51

APPENDIX
A Municipal-Level Graphics: General Environmental Characteristics
LIST OF FIGURES

NUMBER NAME PAGE
1 Location of Hammonton Within New Jersey Pinelands 3
2 Atlantic Coastal Plain Area 3A
3 Critical Area Delineation 7
4 Cohansey Aquifer Recharge Area 15
5 Suitabilities & Limitations of Soils For Septic System Utilization 20

LIST OF TABLES

NUMBER NAME PAGE
1 Hydrologic Budget Analysis Data 7
2 Mullica River Drainage Basin Water Quality Station Data 9
3 Upper Great Egg Harbor River Water Quality State Data 10
4 Groundwater Quality Criteria – Class GW-2 13
5 Groundwater Quality Criteria – Class GW-1 15
6 Selected Characteristics of Soils as Described by the U.S. Soil

Conservation Service 19

7 Upland Forest Species 24
8 Lowland Forest Species: Pitch Pine Lowland Forest 26
9 Lowland Forest Species: Hardwood Swamp Forest 28
10 Lowland Forest Species: Cedar Swamp Forest 29
11 Lowland Species: Pond & Bog-Shrub Wetland 30
12 Threatened & Endangered Plant Species 33
13 Habitat Association of Threatened & Endangered Plants 36
14 Wildland Fire Hazard Classification 37
15 Habitat Associations of Mammal Species 39
16 Mammal Species Totals by Habitats 41
17 Threatened & Endangered Birds of the Pinelands 42
18 Habitat Association of Common Bird Species 44
19 Selected Reptile & Amphibian Species 45
20 Reptile & Amphibian Habitat Associations 48
21 Characteristic Fish Species 49

INTRODUCTION

The Comprehensive Management Plan (CMP) for the New Jersey Pinelands requires that municipalities within the Pinelands Area of the State conform their Master Plans and development ordinances to meet the minimum environmental and development standards established for land use and resource management within the Pinelands region. As part of that process, those elements which comprise a municipal Master Plan are to be systematically reviewed by local planning boards and adjusted to reflect the goals and objectives of the CMP specifically to preserve and protect the fragile and unique ecosystems of the Pinelands environment. As expressed within the Municipal Land Use Law, the natural starting point for this process is with a comprehensive inventory of the community's natural resources. Those subsequent tasks involved with the master planning of a community can only reasonably proceed after the natural environmental constraints on future growth have been identified and defined. The Pinelands Commission and NJDEP have compiled most of the information available within this report for the Pinelands region as a whole. The purpose of this report is to reproduce this data on a scale appropriate for use by the Town in its ongoing planning and development review functions. While this inventory provides a great utility to that end, caution should be noted in the use of the mapped information within this report for site specific evaluation. While suitable for use in "red flagging" potentially sensitive areas within the development review process, final determinations by the Planning Board of a site's development potential must be based upon data generated by specific analysis of the site.

SECTION 1.00 Natural Resource Inventory
Understanding the unique physical and ecological features of the Town of Hammonton is important for every concerned citizen and resident. It is especially important, however, for those elected or appointed officials whose responsibility it is to help determine Hammonton's very future by the decisions they will make in an official capacity. The natural ecosystems which have evolved over many thousands of years; those balanced relationships between soil, water, vegetation and wildlife can be upset or lost forever unless careful consideration is given to the potential impacts of each proposal for change or development in Hammonton. With a basic knowledge of the physical features of any site-in-question, it is possible to accurately predict the environmental impacts of proposed development. The purpose of this Inventory of Natural Resources is to document those environmental features within the Town of Hammonton which can be used to determine a site's environmental sensitivity, and hence, its development potential. The municipal zoning districts discussed in the Land Use Element of the Master Plan were carefully developed to encourage future growth with regard to the environmental capabilities of large scale regions of the Town. Many other pertinent factors, such as existing regional patterns of land use and development, parcel access, and major transportation routes were also important considerations. Even within those zoning districts which permit development at the greatest intensities, however, there are likely to be environmentally sensitive areas such as stream corridors, flood prone areas, or high groundwater level areas which should be identified so that development can be modified or even restricted for the protection of individuals, as well as the environment. It is only when the environmental suitability of each specific development proposal is considered along with local zoning regulations and growth objectives that the quality of life in Hammonton will ultimately be assured.
A great deal of attention has been focused on the unique environment of the New Jersey Pine Barrens since the adoption of the Pinelands Protection Act in June of 1979. While some may still be unaware of the uniqueness and ecological value of the Pine Barrens, it has been considered important enough on a national scale to be designated as our country's first National Reserve as set forth by the National Parks and Recreation Act of 1978. According to the Comprehensive Plan for the Management of the Pinelands, the region's remarkable blend of high quality surface and groundwater resources, unique ecological features, and other human uses make it a logical choice to test the National Reserve approach. Although several of the Pinelands environmental features can be found in coastal New York and New England, in the Appalachian Mountains, and in certain other scattered small areas throughout the world, no other area has the same extensive pattern of natural habitats, distribution of plant and animal populations, and unusual variety of native species. Finally, the Pinelands region is considered special because of its location in the midst of the otherwise largely urbanized "Northeast Corridor" of the U.S. The area is a significant natural and recreational resource in a region of the country where open space is in short supply.
The Pinelands Area as designated by the New Jersey Legislature encompasses approximately one (1) million acres in the southern part of the state. In keeping with the New Jersey Pinelands Protection Act, the Comprehensive Management Plan for the Pinelands distinguishes between a central core, or Preservation Area, and a surrounding Protection Area. In the Preservation Area, the Plan is designed to preserve a large, contiguous tract of land in its natural state and to promote compatible agricultural, horticultural, and recreational uses. In the Protection Area, the Plan is designed to maintain the essential character of the existing Pinelands environment while providing for a certain level of needed development in an orderly way. The Town of Hammonton lies entirely within the Pinelands Area as indicated in Figure 1. The Preservation Area includes that area of Hammonton which is within the Wharton State Forest. In the eastern portion, it is that area to the North of Nescochague Creek downstream of the confluence of Albertson Brook and Great Swamp Branch. To the west, the Preservation Area boundary coincides with the Wharton State Forest boundary, but includes those few privately owned parcels which are entirely within the State Forest. The remainder of Hammonton is within the Pinelands Protection Area which the Comprehensive Management Plan has categorized into seven (7) different land use districts, only three (3) of which are found within Hammonton. Each district in the Protection Area has its own distinct set of land use and development regulations developed to accommodate compatible land uses in a manner that is consistent with the protection of the natural resources of the Pinelands. Figure 1 shows the areas of Hammonton that are included within the Preservation and Protection Areas.
SECTION 2.00 Topography
The Town of Hammonton is located in the northwestern corner of Atlantic County, bordered by Burlington County on the northeast and Camden County on the northwest. Situated between latitudes 39° - 35' and 39° - 42' north, and between longitudes 74° - 40' and 74° - 52' west, the nearly rectangular shaped Town covers nearly forty-one (41.3) square miles, measuring approximately 4.3 miles by 9.8 miles. Hammonton shares boundaries with the Burlington County Townships of Shamong and Washington on the northeast, with Atlantic County Townships of Mullica and Hamilton on the southeast, with the Borough of Folsom on the southwest, and with the Camden County Townships of Winslow and Waterford on the northwest.
Topographic features of the Town of Hammonton are characteristic of its physiographic region, the outer portion of the Atlantic Coastal Plain (See Figure 2). The surface topography can be described as gently undulating to level. Few slopes can be considered even moderately steep. Map No.1 topography, included at the end of this inventory shows detailed topographic elevations throughout Hammonton. The most prominent topographic feature in Hammonton is the Mullica River's extensive lowland network of tributary creeks, streams, swamps and boggy wetlands, particularly in the northern two thirds of the Town. The Mullica River segment between Route 206 at Atsion in Burlington County and Route 542 at Pleasant Mills in Mullica Township has been designated as the first river segment within the State to be included in the New Jersey Wild and Scenic River System. The Mullica River actually touches only the northern corner of Hammonton, but a number of its major tributaries originate or flow through Hammonton. Several of these have also been identified for study by the Department of Environmental Protection for inclusion within the system. These include the entire length of Nescochague Creek within Hammonton, from the boundary with Mullica Township on the east, upstream to the confluence of Albertson Brook with Great Swamp Branch. Also, proposed for wild and scenic designation is the Great Swamp Branch from its confluence with Albertson Brook, upstream to the Route 206 crossing.
The highest elevations in Hammonton occur along a prominent ridge which is the major divide between the Mullica River and the Great Egg Harbor River Watersheds. It can most readily be identified on Map 2 (Watersheds) at the end of this inventory. A gentle upward sloping of the land occurs as one moves northwestward across Hammonton, and the highest elevation, slightly over one hundred fifty (150) feet above mean sea level, occurs along the Pennsylvania-Reading Seashore Line Railroad just inside the Town boundary in the Rosedale section of Hammonton. From this upland ridge, the surrounding land area slopes off both toward the northeast and the southwest with less prominent secondary ridges occurring throughout the areas of transition to lower elevations. This system of major and secondary ridges comprises the upland areas of Hammonton. These uplands are quite distinct from the low lying, broad plain areas adjacent to the many streams which drain the region. Prominent differences in vegetation types, wildlife habitat, soil types and capabilities, and most importantly, development potential exist between the upland and low lying areas. As subsequent sections of this Inventory will describe in greater detail, upland areas are generally more suitable for development. Low lying areas are susceptible to flooding and even in marginal areas, the construction of septic systems and houses with basements may be unsuitable due to high groundwater levels and the danger of contributing to both surface and groundwater pollution. In the interest of protecting the environment, low lying areas should be avoided because they comprise the habitat for disproportionately high numbers of threatened and endangered wildlife and plant species. Many of the development standards and management programs contained within the Pinelands Comprehensive Management Plan reflect the sensitivity associated with wetland habitats and are designed to prohibit or severely restrict development in such areas. Definitions and references for determining the presence of wetlands are discussed in greater detail in Section 6.03.
SECTION 3.00 Surface Hydrology
The major watershed divide described above between the Mullica and Great Egg Harbor River Watersheds essentially divides the surface water drainage patterns in Hammonton into two (2) directions. Map No. 2 of this inventory indicates those major and secondary watersheds wholly or partially within the Town of Hammonton. To the north and east of the divide, surface waters drain northeastward through various tributaries of the Mullica River, discharging eventually into Great Bay and the Atlantic Ocean. To the south and west of the divide, surface waters drain, through tributaries of the Great Egg Harbor River, into Great Egg Harbor and the Atlantic Ocean.
Major tributaries of the Mullica River within Hammonton are Sleeper Branch, also known as Mechesactauxin Creek, Nescochague Creek, Hammonton Creek, and an unnamed tributary which generally parallels the northeast Town boundary. Tributaries of the Sleeper Branch are Clark Branch and Gun Branch, both of which originate to the west of Hammonton and join with the Sleeper Branch inside municipal boundaries. Tributaries of Nescochague Creek are Albertson Brook and the Great Swamp Branch, both of which also originate west of Hammonton and join to form Nescochague Creek within the Town. The Great Swamp Branch itself has two (2) tributaries wholly within Hammonton. These originate in the higher elevations near the major watershed divide on which the developed center of Hammonton was built. Cedar Brook originates near the intersection of Third and North Streets; Drivers Branch originates near the Middle Road-Laurel Avenue intersection. Finally, Hammonton Creek originates in the Town a short distance upstream of the Hammonton Lake which was created by damming of the Creek at the White Horse Pike. Although the majority of the Hammonton Creek drainage basin is within Mullica Township, the more sensitive headwaters are within Hammonton.
Headwater areas of streams are regarded as a particularly sensitive environmental resource. During periods of low stream flow which normally recur on an annual basis during the summer months in this region, dilution rates are greatly reduced and normally safe levels of pollutants may exceed threshold concentrations for the survival of certain species in the river's ecosystem. The Town of Hammonton is in a unique position in that over fifty percent (50%) of its land area is composed of watersheds which either lie entirely within Hammonton or form the headwater areas for watersheds that drain into neighboring municipalities. Whichever the case, an awareness of the sensitivity of headwater areas is especially important when considering environmental impacts of proposed development activities.
Approximately twenty-five percent (25%) of the land area in Hammonton is located within the Great Egg Harbor River watershed. The western portion of this area is drained by the Penny Pot Stream which originates to the west of Hammonton, and several small unnamed tributaries to the Penny Pot Stream which originate within the Town in the vicinity of Second Road. The extreme southeastern portion of Hammonton is drained by another unnamed tributary of the Great Egg Harbor River which originates in the DaCosta Section of Hammonton and discharges to the river through the extensive swamp and bog wetlands in Folsom and Hamilton Township to the south.
3.01 Surface Water Quality Standards
In recent years, the deteriorating quality of our nation's waters has become a source of major concern. In response, new Federal policies were established to improve water quality nationwide, with a stated goal of "swimable and fishable" waters by the early 1980's. A realization of the importance of water quality to the maintenance of the unique Pinelands ecosystems has focused a great deal of attention on the subject from the Pinelands Commission as well. The focus of most of the effort, however, has been toward the common goal of identifying the complex relationships which exist between human activity, particularly land development and uses of different types, and the resultant impacts upon water quality.
Public Law 92-500 was enacted in 1978 to provide a comprehensive program of measures aimed at restoring and maintaining the "chemical, physical, and biological integrity" of surface water resources in the United States. In reality, implementation of this program involved the efforts of the Federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the State Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), and most recently, the New Jersey Pinelands Commission.
Through the Pinelands Protection Act, water quality standards were adopted to preserve, protect and enhance the quality of surface and groundwaters in the Pinelands National Reserve. The Pinelands Comprehensive Management Plan describes those key water quality parameters which are found to be characteristic of surface and groundwater in undisturbed areas of the Pine Barrens, and which are considered essential to maintain the Pinelands ecosystem. These are as follows:
1. pH – Less than 5.0

2. Nitrate-Nitrogen – About 0.17 parts per million (seasonally higher in winter)

3. Ammonia-Nitrate – About 0.036 parts per million

4. Total Phosphate – About 0.019 parts per million

5. Dissolved Oxygen – About 85 percent saturation

6. Total Dissolved Solids – Less than 100 parts per million

The New Jersey DEP adopted the Central Pine Barrens Water Quality Standards throughout the "Critical Area" of the Pinelands in January of 1978. About seventy-five percent (75%) of the Town of Hammonton lies within the Critical Area for water quality which by definition includes the entire Mullica River watershed as indicated in Figure 3. Surface waters in Hammonton are classified in three (3) different categories. All surface water within the Mullica River watershed are in the FW-Central Pine Barrens category, with the exception of that segment of the Gun Branch tributary of Sleeper Branch which is upstream from Route 206 to its origin in Camden County. This segment of the Gun Branch is classified in the FW-l category. Surface waters in that portion of Hammonton which is within the Great Egg Harbor River watershed are classified as FW-2, Non-Trout. The definition and list of designated uses for each category is listed below. Specific chemical and biological quality criteria are published in the New Jersey Administrative Code N.J.A.C. 7:9-4.l et seq., 7:9-5.1 et seq., and 7:9-6.l et seq. These have also been incorporated within the Atlantic County 208 Areawide Water Quality Management Plan which has responsibility for surface and groundwater quality monitoring and planning activities throughout Atlantic County.

"FW1": Those fresh waters as designated in N.J.A.C 7:9B-1.15, Table 6, and as defined at N.J.A.C. 7:9B-1.4.
"FW2-TP" means FW2 Trout Production.
"FW2-TM" means FW2 Trout Maintenance.
"FW2-NT" means FW2 Non-Trout.
"PL" means Pinelands Waters.
"SE1" means saline estuarine waters whose designated uses are listed in N.J.A.C. 7:9B-1.12 (g).
"SE2" means saline estuarine waters whose designated uses are listed in N.J.A.C. 7:9B-1.12 (e).
"SE3" means saline estuarine waters whose designated uses are listed in N.J.A.C. 7:9B-1.12 (f).
"SC" means the general surface water classification applied to saline coastal waters.
"FW2-NT/SE1" (or a similar designation that combines two classifications) means a waterway in which there may be a salt water/fresh water interface. The exact point of demarcation between the fresh and saline waters must be determined by salinity measurements and is that point where the salinity reaches 3.5 parts per thousand at near high tide. The stream is classified as FW2-NT in the fresh portions (salinity less than or equal to 3.5 parts per thousand at near high tide) and SE1 in the saline portions.
"(C1)" means Category One waters.
"(TP)" indicates trout production in waters which are classified as FW1. This is for information only and does not affect the water quality criteria for those waters.
"(tm)" indicates trout maintenance in waters which are classified as PL or FW1. For FW1 waters, this is for information only and does not affect the water quality criteria for those waters.

1. Designated uses for EW-Central Pine Barrens waters:

A. These waters shall be suitable for cranberry bog water supply and other agricultural uses; the maintenance, migration and propagation of the natural and established biota indigenous to this unique ecological system; public potable water supply after such treatment as shall be required by law or regulation; swimming; and other reasonable uses.
2. Designated uses for FW-l waters:
A. Fresh waters, including rivers, streams, lakes or other bodies of water which, because of their clarity, color, scenic setting or other characteristic of aesthetic value or unique special interest, have been designated by authorized State agencies in conformance with laws pertaining to the use of private lands, to be set aside for posterity to represent the natural aquatic environment and its associated biota.
3. Designated uses for FW-2 waters:
A. Fresh surface waters, including fresh tidal waters which shall be suitable for public potable water supply after such treatment as shall be required by law or regulation.

B. These waters shall also be suitable for the maintenance, migration and propagation of the natural and established biota; primary contact recreation; industrial and agricultural water supply and any other reasonable uses.

C. The FW-2 classification is subdivided into three categories as follows:
(1) FW-2 Trout Production

(2) FW-2 Trout Maintenance

(3) FW-2 Non-Trout

Download 1.1 Mb.

Share with your friends:

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9