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Natural Awakenings Central New Jersey

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Superfund Mine-Polluted Stream Restorations See Success

Cleaned river flowing in woods with mountains in the background

Rahul Dey/Unsplash.com

Large investments have been made to clean up acid drainage into streams and rivers polluted by toxic metals from abandoned mining sites. A new study published in Freshwater Science based on long-term monitoring data from four U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Superfund sites in California, Colorado, Idaho and Montana shows that cleanup efforts can allow affected streams to recover to near natural conditions within 10 to 15 years after abatement work begins.

David Herbst, a research scientist at UC Santa Cruz and co-author of the paper, says, “The good news from them all is that Superfund investments can restore the water quality and ecological health of the streams.” Researchers combined data from long-term monitoring during periods of 20 years or more using aquatic insects and other diverse invertebrate life such as flatworms and snails as indicators of the restoration of ecological health, with nearby unpolluted streams as standards for comparison. Much of the recovery occurred within the first few years of treatment. Herbst says that the promising results suggest that even daunting environmental problems can be remedied.

Tick Talk

Spring officially sprung on March 21. We have turned our clocks ahead. We are looking forward to warm winds, sunny skies and the smell of fresh cut grass. The daffodils and tulips have recently bloomed and we are just starting with the yard work that comes with the warmer weather.  Sadly, another season has started ramping up.  Tick season.

•             The best form of protection is prevention. Educating oneself about tick activity and how our behaviors overlap with tick habitats is the first step.

•             According to the NJ DOH, in 2022 Hunterdon County led the state with a Lyme disease incidence rate of 426 cases per 100,000 people. The fact is ticks spend approximately 90% of their lives not on a host but aggressively searching for one, molting to their next stage or over-wintering. This is why a tick remediation program should be implemented on school grounds where NJ DOH deems high risk for tick exposure and subsequent attachment to human hosts.

•             Governor Murphy has signed a bill that mandates tick education in NJ public schools. See this for the details.  Tick education must now be incorporated into K-12 school curriculum. See link:

https://www.nj.gov/education/broadcasts/2023/sept/27/TicksandTick-BorneIllnessEducation.pdf

•             May is a great month to remind the public that tick activity is in full swing. In New Jersey, there are many tickborne diseases that affect residents, including Anaplasmosis, Babesiosis, Ehrlichiosis, Lyme disease, Powassan, and Spotted Fever Group Rickettsiosis.

•             For years, the focus has mainly been about protecting ourselves from Lyme disease. But other tick-borne diseases are on the rise in Central Jersey. An increase of incidence of Babesia and Anaplasma are sidelining people too. These two pathogens are scary because they effect our blood cells. Babesia affects the red blood cells and Anaplasma effects the white blood cells.

•             Ticks can be infected with more than one pathogen. When you contract Lyme it is possible to contract more than just that one disease. This is called a co-infection. It is super important to pay attention to your symptoms. See link.

https://twp.freehold.nj.us/480/Disease-Co-Infection

A good resource from the State:

https://www.nj.gov/health/cd/topics/tickborne.shtml

 

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