NJCWRP Oyster Upweller Presentation REV190930

SHOOTING ISLAND NJ Wildlife Mgmt.. Area THE BAYSIDE CENTER Educational / Community Facility... Shooting Island Wetland Restoration Project Partners National Fish and Wildlife Foundatio

Protecting Shooting Island Through

the Enhancement of Shellfish Habitat

SHOOTING ISLAND

NJ Wildlife Mgmt Area THE BAYSIDE CENTER Educational / Community Facility

Shooting Island Wetland Restoration

Project Partners

National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (Grant Sponsor)

City of Ocean City (Owner)

Anchor QEA (Design Engineer)

ACT Engineers (Program Manager)

U.S Army Corps

of Engineers

New Jersey Dept

of Environmental Protection

• Hurricane Sandy Coastal Resiliency Competitive Grant Program

• Project Goals

• Wetlands restoration for both flood protection & wildlife habitat

• Mitigate future storm impacts

❖Charter Contracting Co - November 2018 - March 2019

❖2,700’ rock sill living shoreline at historic shoreline

❖1,450’ of habitat block reef living shoreline

❖Completed on time and under budget

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The City of Ocean City proposes installation of an upweller tank for cultivation of ribbed mussels and placement at the 150-acre Shooting Island

wetland restoration site

NOAA estimates a 400 SF area

of mussels can clean an average of 3M gallons of water

& remove about 350 lbs of particulate matter, daily

Natural filtering abilities improve water quality Mussels filter bacteria, microalgae, nutrients and

contaminants

Invertebrate reef systems can

absorb 76% to 93% of wave

energy, which reduces erosion,

flooding, and damage from

coastal storms

Alternative to using edible oysters, eliminating public health concerns Native to the East Coast so no invasive species concerns Ribbed mussels are not sold commercially,

so whatever they eat will not be

eaten by humans.”

Ribbed mussels, Geukensia demissa,

tolerant of wide range of

temperature and salinities, is

receiving increased attention for NJ

aquaculture Potential for reducing

creek-bank erosion in tidal marshes

because of its strong network of

byssal threads

“

Mussel Life

Cycle

Bay Water

Mussels or larvae

Discharge

to Bay

Upweller Tank

Bayside Center

UPWELLER Bay

Ribbed Mussel

Shooting Island Restoration—Phase 1

Initial Ribbed Mussel application

to study placement methods

Wave Energy Attenuation

Water Quality

Stabilization and Erosion Control

Ribbed Mussel application to enhance living shoreline

Shooting Island Restoration—Phase 1 - 4

Grow Mussels in a Controlled/Protected Environment

Monitor the Results Introduce Mussels to

Shooting Island

• Offer volunteer opportunities

• Teach visitors, campers, students through educational signage

• Provide opportunities for school district to use the

upweller as an ‘outdoor classroom’

Bayside Center

520 Bay Avenue

Ocean City NJ 08226

The reef project:

• Builds upon an ongoing wetland restoration project

• Offers additional educational opportunity through community participation, local school curriculum, marine science camps and educational signage

Activities & education facility operated by

Ocean City and used extensively by the school

district, marine science camps and community

groups

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• Ocean City High School:

• Physics, Chemistry & Biology (CP, Honors, AP)

• AP Biology (Stockton University dual program )

• AP Environmental Science

• Advanced Oceanography

• Intro to and Principles of Engineering Design (Rowan University dual program)

• Clubs – Environmental; Science; Ecology; Sea; Aquaponics

• High school students can help raise, feed and place the

mussels on Shooting Island

• Existing tanks and marine biology lab at The Bayside Center

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Utilizing local volunteers, community groups, marine science camps and Ocean City School District

• Reef areal dimensions and height

• Erosion / edge stability

• Coverage, inventory and species diversity

• Practical applications

Junetta Dix – jdix@actengineers.com Tricia Rosina – trosina@actengineers.com Frank Donato III

Director of Financial Management, CFO

Emergency Management Coordinator

fdonato@ocnj.us

Curt A Nath Director of Academic Services Ocean City Public School District

cnath@ocsdnj.org