Biological Monitoring, Former Aggregate Mining and Processing Complex, Somerset County, NJ

Sovereign implemented a stream biological monitoring program at a 1,000+ acre quarry in Somerset County, NJ. The initial phase of the biological monitoring program was intended to amass baseline data for use in evaluating whether particulate loading to two headwaters streams had damaged aquatic organism communities. The program also gauged the effectiveness of stormwater and particulate management upgrades.

The original biological monitoring program was developed by a local watershed authority that sought to curtail mineral processing activities at the site because of possible adverse impacts caused by turbidity to stream-dependent biota. At minimal cost to the client, Sovereign expanded the ongoing stream biological monitoring program in order to incorporate data from comparable reference settings. Sovereign also integrated more rigorous and thorough biological sampling protocols into the monitoring program to evaluate the merits of reclassifying the streams.