Peapack Brook Restoration Project (319 grant)

The Peapack Brook is a trout production stream that flows through Chester Borough, Chester Township, the Borough of Peapack-Gladstone, and Bedminster Township. This waterway has shown evidence of high nutrient levels and degraded aquatic habitat as it has been impacted by non-point source pollution stemming from commercial and residential runoff and exacerbated by a lack of streamside vegetation. In addition to this lack of shading, which is important for maintaining cooler temperatures required for trout habitat, the stream corridor also suffers from scouring events and erosion due to heavy flows during storm events.

In partnership with the Borough of Peapack-Gladstone, the Upper Raritan Watershed Association initiated a stream bank stabilization project on a portion of the Peapack Brook in Rockabye Meadow Park. With the assistance of Amy Greene Environmental Consultants, Inc., the Upper Raritan Watershed Association facilitated the construction of a live cribwall along a portion of eroded bank. Cedar posts were stacked in an interlocking fashion along the graded bank, which is further stabilized with live stakes. Additional tree plantings followed installation to secure the soil and reestablish a vegetative buffer along Peapack Brook. This project is just one component in an initiative to enhance and protect the water quality in Peapack Brook that has been funded through a NJ DEP 319 grant entitled "Design and Implementation of Non-Point Source Pollution Control Measures in the Peapack Brook Subwatershed".