New Jersey Administrative Code › Title 7 - ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION › Chapter 9B - SURFACE WATER QUALITY STANDARDS › Subchapter 1 - SURFACE WATER QUALITY STANDARDS › Section 7:9B-1.15 - Surface water classifications for the waters of the State of New Jersey

Current through Register Vol. 56, No. 14, July 15, 2024
(a)
				This section contains the surface water classifications for the waters of the
				State of New Jersey. Surface water classifications are presented in tabular
				form. Subsections (c) through (i) contain surface water classifications by
				major drainage basin. Subsection (j) lists FW1 waters by tract within basins
				and subsection (k) identifies the Outstanding National Resource Waters of the
				State. Interstate waters of the mainstem Delaware River are under the
				jurisdiction of the DRBC and designations are contained in the DRBC Water
				Quality Regulations.
(b) The
				following are instructions for the use of 7:9B-1.15(c) through (j) below,
				respectively:
1. The surface water
				classification subsections give the surface water classifications and
				antidegradation designations for waters of the State.
2. Within each basin the waters are listed
				alphabetically and segment descriptions begin at the headwaters and proceed
				downstream.
3. To find a stream:
i. Determine which major drainage basin the
				stream is in;
ii. Look for the name
				of the stream in the appropriate table and find the classification;
iii. For unnamed or unlisted streams, find
				the stream or other waterbody that the stream of interest flows into and look
				for the classification of that stream or waterbody. The classification of the
				stream of interest may then be determined by referring to (b)5 below. If the
				second stream or waterbody is also unlisted, repeat the process until a listed
				stream or waterbody is found. Use (b)5iv below to classify streams entering
				unlisted lakes.
4. To
				find a lake or other non-stream waterbody:
i.
				Determine which major drainage basin the waterbody is in;
ii. Look for the waterbody name in the
				appropriate table;
iii. If the
				waterbody is not listed, use (b)5ii, 5iii, 5vi, and 5vii below to determine the
				appropriate classification.
5. To find waterways or waterbodies not
				listed at 7:9B-1.15(c) through (i), use the following instructions:
i. Unnamed or unlisted freshwater streams
				that flow into streams classified as FW2-TP, FW2-TM, or FW2-NT take the
				classification of the classified stream they enter, unless the unlisted stream
				is a PL water which is covered in (b)5vii below. If the stream could be a C1
				water, see (b)5vi below.
ii. All
				freshwater lakes, ponds and reservoirs that are five or more acres in surface
				area, that are not located entirely within the Pinelands Area boundaries (see
				(b)5vii below) and that are not specifically listed as FW2-TP or FW2-TM are
				classified as FW2-NT. This includes lakes, ponds and reservoirs on segments of
				streams which are classified as FW2-TM or FW2-TP such as Saxton Lake on the
				Musconetcong River. If the waterbody could be a C1 water, also check (b)5vi
				below.
iii. All freshwater lakes,
				ponds and reservoirs, that are less than five acres in surface area, upstream
				of and contiguous with FW2-TP or FW2-TM streams, and which are not located
				entirely within the Pinelands Area boundaries (see(b)5vii below) are classified
				as FW2-TM. All other freshwater lakes, ponds and reservoirs that are not
				otherwise classified in this subsection or the following tables are classified
				as FW2-NT. If the waterbody could be a C1 water, also check (b)5vi
				below.
iv. Unnamed or unlisted
				streams that enter FW2 lakes, ponds and reservoirs take the classification of
				either the listed tributary stream flowing into the lake with the highest
				classification or the listed tributary stream leaving the lake with the highest
				classification, whichever has the highest classification, or, if there are no
				listed tributary or outlet streams to the lake, the first listed stream
				downstream of the lake. If the stream is located within the boundaries of the
				Pinelands Area, see (b)5vii below; if it could be a C1 water, also see (b)5vi
				below.
v. Unlisted saline waterways
				and waterbodies are classified as SE1 in the Atlantic Coastal Basin. Unlisted
				saline waterways, which enter SE2 or SE3 waters in the Passaic, Hackensack and
				New York Harbor Complex basin are classified as SE2 unless otherwise classified
				in (f) below. Freshwater portions of unlisted streams entering SE1, SE2 or SE3
				waters are classified as FW2-NT. This only applies to waters that are not PL
				waters (see (b)5vii below). If the waterbody or waterway could be a C1 water,
				also see (b)5vi below.
vi. All
				waterbodies that have been designated by the Department as Category One are
				specifically listed in (c) through (i).
vii. All waterways or waterbodies, or
				portions of waterways or waterbodies, that are located within the boundaries of
				the Pinelands Area established at N.J.S.A. 13:18A-11aare classified as PL
				unless they are listed as FW1 waters in (j) below. A tributary entering a PL
				stream is classified as PL only for those portions of the tributary that are
				within the Pinelands Area. Lakes are classified as PL only if they are located
				entirely within the Pinelands Area.
6. The following 10 classifications are used
				for the sole purpose of identifying the water quality classification of the
				waters listed in the tables in (c) through (j) below:
i. "FW1" means those fresh waters, as
				designated in (j) below, and as defined at 7:9B-1.4.
ii. "FW2-TP" means FW2 trout
				production.
iii. "FW2-TM" means FW2
				trout maintenance.
iv. "FW2-NT"
				means FW2 nontrout.
v. "PL" means
				Pinelands Waters.
vi. "SE1" means
				saline estuarine waters whose designated uses are listed in
				7:9B-1.12(d).
vii. "SE2" means
				saline estuarine waters whose designated uses are listed in
				7:9B-1.12(e).
viii. "SE3" means
				saline estuarine waters whose designated uses are listed in
				7:9B-1.12(f).
ix. "SC" means the
				general surface water classification applied to saline coastal
				waters.
x. 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 mean
				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 mean high tide) and SE1 in the
				saline portions.
7. The
				following water quality designations are used in (c) through (i), respectively,
				below:
i. "(C1)" means Category One
				waters;
ii. "(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;
iii. "(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.