Development around South Jersey’s rivers and streams threatens the health of our waterways along the Shore.

On Nov. 1, advocates for the preservation of the Toms River joined with Environment New Jersey to continue an ongoing effort to win protections against sprawling development that, if left unchecked, will pollute the river and the Shore.

The Toms River, like many other South Jersey waterways, faces a growing threat from suburban sprawl. As development projects boom along the once rural upper reaches of Shore-bound waterways like the Toms River, the amount of runoff pollution and contaminants in the water increases and is also carried to the coast.

“Runaway development threatens South Jersey waterways like the Toms River. We depend on these places to keep the Shore pristine,” said Ethan Lavine, environmental associate for Environment New Jersey.

This fall, Environment New Jersey petitioned the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection to grant the Toms River Category One designation, a level of protection that carries with it a 300-foot buffer zone along the river restricting new development.

The petition lays out the scientific rationale for granting such a high level of protection.

Although the Toms River is in one of the fastest-developing regions of the state, long stretches of the river are undeveloped and pristine. It passes through the Pinelands before emptying into Barnegat Bay, an estuary of “national significance” according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Environment New Jersey is working alongside elected officials in Monmouth and Ocean Counties, such as Mayor Paul Brush of the Township of Toms River, who are interested in protecting local waterways and preserving the character of their towns against runaway development.