Watershed Management Area 16
Cape May

Watershed Management Area 16 includes watersheds draining the Cape May portion of New Jersey. The region includes Cape May County south and east of the Tuckahoe River Watershed. The region contains minimal surface water flow. Ground water and shellfish harvesting water quality are the principal water issues. No fixed physical/chemical fresh (surface) water monitoring locations are currently located within this management area. The are includes the following watersheds: Dennis Creek, Delaware Bay Coastal Drainage, Cape May Atlantic Coastal Drainage.

Cape May County is located at the southern-most point of New Jersey and represents a continuation of the Atlantic Coastal Plain. The county is 267 square miles in area and is bounded on the north by Atlantic and Cumberland Counties, on east by the Atlantic Ocean and on the west and south by the Delaware Bay. The region represents a low lying, gently rolling plain whose highest point is 54 feet above sea level and whose surface is largely covered by wet soils and wetlands. Large swamps (Great Cedar, Timber and Beaver Swamps) occupy the north-central part of the county. Most, if not all streams are tidal in their lower reaches and terminate by flowing into fresh water swamps that, in turn, discharge into saltwater marshes near the shore.

The county's permanent year-round population is about 77,000, with approximately 42 percent of the population residing on the barrier islands that comprise the eastern perimeter of the peninsula. The summertime population rises to 564,000 with 69 percent residing on the barrier islands.

As stated previously, one of the principal water resource issues within this management area is drinking water supply. The resource is largely dependent upon ground water that is in turn highly vulnerable to saltwater intrusion from the west, south and east, especially in the southern portion of the peninsula. The expected increase in population (an expected 68 percent by 2040) is predicted to put further stress on the already overextended water supply.

For additional information on the Cape May Watershed Management Area, please contact:

Harold Nebling, WMA 16 Area Contact
Harold.Nebling@dep.state.nj.us
(609) 633-1989

Watershed Management Area 16 Map
Watershed Management Area 16 Factsheet (PDF Format)

Watershed Plans
None at the present time

Priority Segment for Restoration
Cape May County Park Lake and Holmes Creek
Cox Hall Creek
Grassy Sound

TMDL Implementation Priorities
Lily Lake Eutrophication
Dennisville Lake Eutrophication

Active Projects

	Stormwater Action Now Mapping and Source Trackdown Projects Cape May County This project contains the remaining funds from the original watershed grant that are now being used for action now projects for completing stormwater outfall mapping, microbial source track down monitoring in Grassy Sound; proposed implementation measures.
	Reuse of Wastewater Effluent from the Wildwood/Lower Wastewater Treatment Facility for Irrigation of the Rt. 47 Median Strip Cape May County MUA Completed. This project provided funds for a small scale wastewater reuse demonstration project for public education purposes.

WMA 16 Partnerships
Association of New Jersey Environmental Commissions
Cape May County Planning Department
Cape May County Utilities Authority
United States Geological Survey

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