Lochlyn Martin 1

Lake Fred Watershed Management Plan: How Can We Finally Change Our Phosphorus
Problem?

Lake Fred Watershed Management Plan: How Can We Finally Change Our Phosphorus
Problem?
BY: Lochlyn Martin

ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTANABILITY (SUST 2100)

STOCKTON UNIVERISTY
SUSTAINABILITY, ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND GEOLOGY PROGRAMS
Instructor: Dr. Tait Chirenje
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Lake Fred Watershed Management Plan: How Can We Finally Change Our Phosphorus
Problem?

Introduction

Lake Fred is one of many attractions at Stockton University that students and staff have great

pride in. Lake Fred is its own ecosystem with great biological diversity. Lake Fred is home to

birds, fish, turtles, raccoon, and many insects. The management of Lake Fred is imperative in

order to make sure that its water quality can continue to sustain life. According to the EPA,

"The goal of the Clean Water Act (CWA) is "to restore and maintain the chemical, physical, and

biological integrity of the Nation's waters" (33 U.S.C §1251(a)). Under section 303(d) of the

CWA, states, territories and authorized tribes, collectively referred to in the act as "states," are

required to develop lists of impaired waters. These are waters for which technology-based

regulations and other required controls are not stringent enough to meet the water quality

standards set by states. The law requires that states establish priority rankings for waters on the

lists and develop Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs) for these waters. A TMDL includes a

calculation of the maximum amount of a pollutant that can be present in a waterbody and still

meet water quality standards”. Lake Fred is consistently used in the spring and summer months

for sports like rowing, fishing, and boating. Because Lake Fred has levels of phosphorus in

exceedance of its respective water quality standard it is necessary to evaluate the sources of

contamination. The elements following include the identification of phosphorus sources, causes,

and the development of a watershed plan to be implemented here at Stockton University

1. Identification of the causes and sources

There are many natural sources of Phosphorus throughout the ecosystem, but human

activity and the overuse of phosphorus leads to big problems in aquatic bodies of water. When

soil is broken down through mineralization, phosphorus is naturally released into the ecosystem

in quantities that are beneficial. But this natural occurrence of phosphorus is not why we see

elevated levels in Lake Fred. An excess of human activity near Lake Fred has much to do with

its water quality. Typically, and excess of phosphorus in a body of water has to do with sewage

and agricultural runoff. Here at Stockton, Lake Fred is surrounded by activity-- whether it be

from the lakeside dorms or campus buildings. So as people walk back and forth along its paths,

you can begin to wonder what separates human activity from the lake. Buildings are surrounded

by large areas of lawn which must be carefully tended to in order to keep an aesthetic look. Lawn

care is one of the main contributors to raised amounts of phosphorus in a body of water. This is

because rain moves excess fertilizers and pesticides from lawns into lakes, speeding up the

process of eutrophication. Another important factor to an increased amount of Phosphorus in a

body of water is road salt used in parking lots. In the Northeast, clear roads in the winter allow

people to travel to school and work in a safe manner. But road salt can negatively affect the

environment if not used in moderation. There is one thing that most people can agree on about

Stockton, the parking situation is horrendous. With large parking lots, surprisingly, there are

rarely spaces available for students and faculty after 10 AM. But creating more paved areas for

people to park in would solve one problem and create a much worse problem at Lake Fred. After

storms, road salts as well as any gasoline or mechanical chemicals usually found on pavement,

are pushed into bodies of water. In Stockton’s case, this is Lake Fred. When a phosphorus rich

body of water encounters road salt (sodium chloride), algae dominance shifts. This leads to a
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Lake Fred Watershed Management Plan: How Can We Finally Change Our Phosphorus
Problem?

dominance of cyanobacteria to chlorophyte. And like many other human activities, this leads to

eutrophication. Buffer zones are naturally occurring areas of vegetation that usually extend

several meters on most sides of a shoreline. Buffer zones are essential to aquatic life by

protecting water quality, reducing erosion, providing wildlife habitat, and deterring animals from

entering the body of water. These buffer zones usually have ribbons and essential and critical

wildlife that protect the health of the lake. The biggest issue that Lake Fred is currently facing

has to do with the large expanses of lawn area and reduced area of buffer zones around the body

of water.

1. Load Reduction Estimates

Our goal is a 80% load reduction with a centralization on runoff remediation and management,

as well as implementing native plant buffers along the shores of Lake Fred. This would help

reduce runoff of phosphorus into the body of water.

2. Reduction measurements

Regarding runoff from lawns, the issue is no longer with the fertilizers themselves. In New

Jersey fertilizers are required to decrease the total amount of nitrogen and contain zero

phosphorus (unless needed). Law also requires fertilizers to be professionally administered and is

restricted by certain dates. So, reduction measurements would turn towards reduction of lawns

and implementing buffer zones where needed. Lawn areas with trees present must have native

shrubs or naturally occurring buffers to reduce surface run off after storms. To create larger

buffers surrounding Lake Fred, we would also implement a larger minimum area for trees and

native plants on the shore. These buffer zones would reduce animal activity in the lake as well as

positively contribute to Lake Fred’s natural cycles.

3. Technical and Financial Assistance

For this watershed management plan to be successful, different sources of funding and

technical support are required. The reduction of grass lawns and the implementation of

buffer zones would be directed to Plant and Agricultural Management on campus.

Students with horticulture, botany, and agricultural sustainability majors could also

implement research to help Management Programs decide which plants are best.

They would also determine which native plants are best for each area. Local conservation

groups, the Stockton community, or volunteers could help with tree and native plantings.

The reduction of salt runoff from parking lots is a much more complicated subject. Not

only would it be too expensive for Stockton to change all its parking lots to semi-

permeable, but it would be impractical. Instead, Stockton would pledge that all future

areas designated for parking will follow progressive parking lot guidelines. This can be

through permeable pavers and porous designs that will allow water to pass through the

parking lot.

4. Implementing Education

Through educational outreach programs, the Stockton community can help further protect Lake

Fred by learning the importance of its remediation. The importance of the water quality of Lake

Fred can be brought through social media. Around campus, we can host seminars, post flyers and

incorporated social media to help inform the community of Lake Fred’s Watershed Management

Plan. An effective way of educating people about Lake Fred’s water quality is by hosting

seminars or interactive workshops where people can test water quality with professors or

professional personnel. Fun flyers would be hung throughout campus, and around the shores of
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Lake Fred Watershed Management Plan: How Can We Finally Change Our Phosphorus
Problem?

Lake Fred, informational signs about the importance and water quality could be read. Flyers, TV

ads, local newspapers, and social media posts would put out information about the protection of

the lake as well as what you can do as an individual to better protect water quality.

5. Establishing a Schedule and Creating Milestones

Establishing a schedule of ways to implement this watershed management plan is imperative for

success. It will help identify what needs to be done and when, as well as setting milestones to

make sure we are successful with the plan. Identifying where phosphorus sources are, their load

reductions, and assistance are all short-term goals to be reached at the beginning of the plan.

Next would be implementing the reductions of lawns, planting buffers, and providing

educational seminars. These are medium term goals in which we would begin after

accomplishing the short-term goals. At the end of the management plan would be monitoring

chemical and biological levels of the lake and identifying what was responsible for the original

management measures.

6. Creating measurable Parameters and Monitoring Components

Creating measurable parameters are important to making sure that the plan is being implemented

and responsibly carried out. We would measure the number and areas of trees or buffers added

on campus, measure the numbers or algal blooms, and phosphorus load. Monitoring components

help track the effectiveness of the management plan while using information gathered from

measures taken.
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Lake Fred Watershed Management Plan: How Can We Finally Change Our Phosphorus
Problem?

References

Environmental Protection Agency. (n.d.). 8 Tools of Watershed Protection in Developing Areas.

EPA. Retrieved October 28, 2022, from

https://cfpub.epa.gov/watertrain/moduleFrame.cfm?parent_object_id=1305

Environmental Protection Agency. (n.d.). How's My Waterway? EPA. Retrieved October 28,

2022, from https://mywaterway.epa.gov/waterbody-

report/21NJDEP1/NJ02040301200100-01/2020

NJDEP-healthy lawns healthy water. (2016, October 13). Retrieved October 28, 2022, from

https://www.nj.gov/dep/healthylawnshealthywater/

Parnapy, C. (2017, January 19). Road salt impacts waterways, soils and infrastructure -. The

Adirondack Almanack. Retrieved October 28, 2022, from

https://www.adirondackalmanack.com/2017/01/road-salt-impacts-waterways-soils-and-

infrastructure-waiting-on-photo.html

Reprinted with permission from our trusted partners at SePRO Corporation, written by West

Bishop, Algae Scientist & Water Quality Research Manager. (2015, July 15). The impact

of phosphorus pollution on waterbodies. SOLitude Lake Management. Retrieved October

28, 2022, from https://www.solitudelakemanagement.com/blog/the-impact-of-phosphorus-

pollution-on-waterbodies/