Jersey Shore water quality ranked 14th out of 30, and the “water exceeded the national standard for bacteria in 5 percent of the samples tested in 2009 – up from 3 percent the prior year” (NRDC report). YUCK! So, what do trees have to do with clean beaches? Everything. One 2″ caliper tree will intercept 155 gallons of stormwater runoff. Once that tree is mature, it will intercept a whopping 3,040 gallons of stormwater. Intercepting stormwater runoff means our sewerage drains don’t overflow. Because when they overflow, RAW sewage runs into our streams and our ocean.
I remember all the beach closings in the late ’80s. Seemed the beaches were always closed on the hottest days of the summer. So, NJ, let’s clean up our act and plant more trees to keep our beaches clean and open!