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Princeton Hydro worked with the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) – New York District and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) on the development of an acceptable monitoring program that was implemented in 2019. As stipulated in the NYSDEC-issued permit, the monitoring program had to follow the New York State Salt Marsh Restoration and Monitoring Guidelines (Guidelines) established in 2000. Working closely with USACE and NYSDEC and following the program specified within the Guidelines, Princeton Hydro established five transects and eighteen associated 1m2 quadrat locations along the five transects. Each transect represented a cross section of the various ecological communities present between Old Place Creek and the upper extent of the mitigation site. The ecological communities monitored across each transect included low marsh, high marsh, transitional zones between low marsh and high marsh, and scrub/shrub, respectively. [gallery link="none" columns="2" ids="19307,19305"] The following metrics were calculated within each 1m2 quadrat: overall percent cover and species composition comprising the observed percent cover. Within each 1m2 quadrat, a 0.25m2 portion of the quadrat was analyzed for stem density and plant height as outlined within the Guidelines. Additionally, the entire mitigation site was investigated for the presence of invasive species with subsequent mapping developed and incorporated into an adaptive management plan. This was then implemented to address the presence of common reed (Phragmites australis). Annual monitoring reports were prepared and submitted to both USACE and NYSDEC detailing the results of the monitoring effort with a focus on the established transects and 1m2 quadrats along each transect. A section of the reports was dedicated to the development of an adaptive management plan to ensure the mitigation site satisfied the requisite 85% vegetative cover comprised of desirable, native species. [post_title] => NYSDEC Wetland Monitoring - Old Place Creek Mitigation Site [post_excerpt] => [post_status] => publish [comment_status] => closed [ping_status] => closed [post_password] => [post_name] => nysdec-wetland-monitoring-old-place-creek-mitigation-site [to_ping] => [pinged] => [post_modified] => 2026-03-06 13:46:46 [post_modified_gmt] => 2026-03-06 13:46:46 [post_content_filtered] => [post_parent] => 0 [guid] => https://princetonhydro.com/?post_type=project&p=19292 [menu_order] => 0 [post_type] => project [post_mime_type] => [comment_count] => 0 [filter] => raw ) [1] => WP_Post Object ( [ID] => 18800 [post_author] => 1 [post_date] => 2025-12-02 20:22:29 [post_date_gmt] => 2025-12-02 20:22:29 [post_content] => The New Jersey Department of Military and Veteran Affairs (NJDMAVA) retained Princeton Hydro to implement ecological services at the Sea Girt National Guard Training Center in the Borough of Sea Girt, Monmouth County, New Jersey. To facilitate portions of the 2025-2029 Integrated Natural Resources Management Plan (INRMP), Princeton Hydro conducted a series of tasks such as delineating the extent of the northern and southern dune protection areas, where suitable habitat for the federally threatened, state endangered piping plover (Charadrius melodus) is present and confirming the extent of wetlands associated with a prior Letter of Interpretation. The project team also conducted an ecological assessment of the existing ecological communities with a focus on identifying the presence/extent/type of invasive species present to inform future targeted habitat management efforts identified within the INRMP and procured, on behalf of NJDMAVA, a Letter of Interpretation – Line Verification, Freshwater Wetlands General Permit 16 – Creation, restoration, and enhancement of habitat and water quality functions and values, and Coastal Zone Management General Permit 24 – Habitat creation, restoration, enhancement, and living shoreline activities. [gallery link="none" columns="2" size="large" ids="18801,18803"] [post_title] => Sea Girt Nation Guard Training Center Habitat Enhancement Project [post_excerpt] => [post_status] => publish [comment_status] => closed [ping_status] => closed [post_password] => [post_name] => sea-girt-nation-guard-training-center-habitat-enhancement-project [to_ping] => [pinged] => [post_modified] => 2025-12-08 21:44:33 [post_modified_gmt] => 2025-12-08 21:44:33 [post_content_filtered] => [post_parent] => 0 [guid] => https://princetonhydro.com/?post_type=project&p=18800 [menu_order] => 0 [post_type] => project [post_mime_type] => [comment_count] => 0 [filter] => raw ) [2] => WP_Post Object ( [ID] => 18304 [post_author] => 1 [post_date] => 2025-09-30 13:25:15 [post_date_gmt] => 2025-09-30 13:25:15 [post_content] => Along the Third River and Spring Brook, two freshwater tributaries of the Passaic River, a highly disturbed, flood-prone former industrial site, were transformed into a thriving public park allowing for both passive and active recreational activities. By removing a little over four acres of upland historic fill in this densely developed area and converting it into 4.2 acres of a functioning floodplain wetland, the project restored valuable ecological functions, enhances wetland and riparian zone habitat, and increases flood storage capacity for urban stormwater runoff. Princeton Hydro served as the ecological engineer to Bloomfield Township. Our scientists and engineers played a crucial role in this important urban wetland creation project by assisting in obtaining grant acquisition, collecting background ecological data through field sampling and surveying, developing a water budget, completing all necessary permitting, designing both the conceptual and final restoration plans, and conducting construction oversight during implementation. The site includes 1,360 feet along the east bank of the Third River and 3,040 feet along the banks of the Spring Brook. These waterways are freshwater tributaries of the Passaic River and share a history of flooding above the site’s 100-year floodplain. The Third River, like many urban streams, tends to be the victim of excessive volume and is subjected to erosion and chronic, uncontrolled flooding. This green infrastructure project re-established the natural floodplain wetland and riparian plant communities, which led to a species-rich forest community through the removal of invasive species, setting the stage for native plants. Over 500 trees and shrubs were planted in the new wetland, with additional trees and shrubs planted along Lion Gate Drive and in existing woodlands. The selected native plant species all provide important wildlife value, such as providing fruit for migratory birds. Phase One of the project, which includes the wetland construction and plantings, was completed in April 2020. The sports fields and playground were completed in June 2021 and are now open to the public. For this project’s design and construction, Bloomfield Township, Strauss and Associates, ARH, and Princeton Hydro secured $1.76 million in funding from the New Jersey Freshwater Wetlands Mitigation Council and several million more from NJDEP’s Office of Natural Resource Restoration. Acquisition of part of the property was funded by New Jersey Green Acres. [gallery size="large" link="none" columns="2" ids="18307,18306"] [post_title] => Urban Wetland Creation in Bloomfield Township [post_excerpt] => [post_status] => publish [comment_status] => closed [ping_status] => closed [post_password] => [post_name] => urban-wetland-creation [to_ping] => [pinged] => [post_modified] => 2025-11-03 21:18:25 [post_modified_gmt] => 2025-11-03 21:18:25 [post_content_filtered] => [post_parent] => 0 [guid] => https://princetonhydro.com/?post_type=project&p=18304 [menu_order] => 0 [post_type] => project [post_mime_type] => [comment_count] => 0 [filter] => raw ) [3] => WP_Post Object ( [ID] => 17621 [post_author] => 1 [post_date] => 2025-06-03 11:31:15 [post_date_gmt] => 2025-06-03 11:31:15 [post_content] => Over 40 years ago, Mercer County purchased 279 acres of flood-prone land along Miry Run as part of a restoration and flood mitigation initiative. In 2018, Mercer County Park Commission (MCPC) contracted Princeton Hydro and Simone Collins Landscape Architecture to develop the Miry Run Ponds Master Plan with three primary goals: (1) Provide passive recreation to complement other County activities; (2) Preserve and enhance the habitat, water quality, and natural systems that currently exist onsite; and (3) Provide linkage to adjacent trails and parks. [caption id="attachment_7488" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Miry Run Ponds Master Plan won the 2021 Landscape Architectural Chapter Award from the American Society of Landscape Architects New Jersey Chapter.[/caption] The team assessed the land area and proposed a concept plan to enhance the area and create recreational lake activities. Applying expertise in science-based assessment and evaluations, we performed:
The Goethals Bridge Replacement Project resulted in unavoidable impacts to 4.929 acres of wetlands and open water associated with the Arthur Kill, requiring the creation of 15.39 acres of mudflat, low marsh, high marsh, and scrub/shrub habitat; and preservation of 3.91 acres of existing low marsh/high marsh and open water habitat. Princeton Hydro worked with the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) – New York District and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) on the development of an acceptable monitoring program that was implemented in 2019. As stipulated in the NYSDEC-issued permit, the monitoring program had to follow the New York State Salt Marsh Restoration and Monitoring Guidelines (Guidelines) established in 2000. Working closely with USACE and NYSDEC and following the program specified within the Guidelines, Princeton Hydro established five transects and eighteen associated 1m2 quadrat locations along the five transects. Each transect represented a cross section of the various ecological communities present between Old Place Creek and the upper extent of the mitigation site. The ecological communities monitored across each transect included low marsh, high marsh, transitional zones between low marsh and high marsh, and scrub/shrub, respectively.
The following metrics were calculated within each 1m2 quadrat: overall percent cover and species composition comprising the observed percent cover. Within each 1m2 quadrat, a 0.25m2 portion of the quadrat was analyzed for stem density and plant height as outlined within the Guidelines. Additionally, the entire mitigation site was investigated for the presence of invasive species with subsequent mapping developed and incorporated into an adaptive management plan. This was then implemented to address the presence of common reed (Phragmites australis). Annual monitoring reports were prepared and submitted to both USACE and NYSDEC detailing the results of the monitoring effort with a focus on the established transects and 1m2 quadrats along each transect. A section of the reports was dedicated to the development of an adaptive management plan to ensure the mitigation site satisfied the requisite 85% vegetative cover comprised of desirable, native species.
The New Jersey Department of Military and Veteran Affairs (NJDMAVA) retained Princeton Hydro to implement ecological services at the Sea Girt National Guard Training Center in the Borough of Sea Girt, Monmouth County, New Jersey. To facilitate portions of the 2025-2029 Integrated Natural Resources Management Plan (INRMP), Princeton Hydro conducted a series of tasks such as delineating the extent of the northern and southern dune protection areas, where suitable habitat for the federally threatened, state endangered piping plover (Charadrius melodus) is present and confirming the extent of wetlands associated with a prior Letter of Interpretation.
The project team also conducted an ecological assessment of the existing ecological communities with a focus on identifying the presence/extent/type of invasive species present to inform future targeted habitat management efforts identified within the INRMP and procured, on behalf of NJDMAVA, a Letter of Interpretation – Line Verification, Freshwater Wetlands General Permit 16 – Creation, restoration, and enhancement of habitat and water quality functions and values, and Coastal Zone Management General Permit 24 – Habitat creation, restoration, enhancement, and living shoreline activities.
Along the Third River and Spring Brook, two freshwater tributaries of the Passaic River, a highly disturbed, flood-prone former industrial site, were transformed into a thriving public park allowing for both passive and active recreational activities. By removing a little over four acres of upland historic fill in this densely developed area and converting it into 4.2 acres of a functioning floodplain wetland, the project restored valuable ecological functions, enhances wetland and riparian zone habitat, and increases flood storage capacity for urban stormwater runoff.
Princeton Hydro served as the ecological engineer to Bloomfield Township. Our scientists and engineers played a crucial role in this important urban wetland creation project by assisting in obtaining grant acquisition, collecting background ecological data through field sampling and surveying, developing a water budget, completing all necessary permitting, designing both the conceptual and final restoration plans, and conducting construction oversight during implementation.
The site includes 1,360 feet along the east bank of the Third River and 3,040 feet along the banks of the Spring Brook. These waterways are freshwater tributaries of the Passaic River and share a history of flooding above the site’s 100-year floodplain. The Third River, like many urban streams, tends to be the victim of excessive volume and is subjected to erosion and chronic, uncontrolled flooding. This green infrastructure project re-established the natural floodplain wetland and riparian plant communities, which led to a species-rich forest community through the removal of invasive species, setting the stage for native plants.
Over 500 trees and shrubs were planted in the new wetland, with additional trees and shrubs planted along Lion Gate Drive and in existing woodlands. The selected native plant species all provide important wildlife value, such as providing fruit for migratory birds. Phase One of the project, which includes the wetland construction and plantings, was completed in April 2020. The sports fields and playground were completed in June 2021 and are now open to the public.
For this project’s design and construction, Bloomfield Township, Strauss and Associates, ARH, and Princeton Hydro secured $1.76 million in funding from the New Jersey Freshwater Wetlands Mitigation Council and several million more from NJDEP’s Office of Natural Resource Restoration. Acquisition of part of the property was funded by New Jersey Green Acres.
Over 40 years ago, Mercer County purchased 279 acres of flood-prone land along Miry Run as part of a restoration and flood mitigation initiative. In 2018, Mercer County Park Commission (MCPC) contracted Princeton Hydro and Simone Collins Landscape Architecture to develop the Miry Run Ponds Master Plan with three primary goals: (1) Provide passive recreation to complement other County activities; (2) Preserve and enhance the habitat, water quality, and natural systems that currently exist onsite; and (3) Provide linkage to adjacent trails and parks.
The team assessed the land area and proposed a concept plan to enhance the area and create recreational lake activities. Applying expertise in science-based assessment and evaluations, we performed:
Our project team facilitated focus groups with local municipalities, residents, interest groups, and County stakeholders to seek their input and report on site evaluation findings. In partnership with the County, we held public meetings to gather feedback on the conceptual site designs. This helped to inform the park planning process and determine how best to manage the site to meet the needs of the community and future generations.
The final Miry Run Pond Master Plan goes above and beyond the original vision, proposing considerable improvements to the area prioritizing valuable natural features, including 34 acres of reforestation, 64 acres of new meadows, 19 acres of vernal pools, and 7.9 miles of walking trails. It serves as a long-term vision and will be implemented over multiple phases. Dredging of the lake began in 2023.
Keen Road, a local, rural roadway in East Vincent Township is scheduled to be repaved in 2025. There are four culverts under Keen Road that are in poor condition and need to be replaced, with one of them containing an active stream traveling through it. There are erosion issues and safety issues with culverts on both sides of the road, with erosion beginning to undermine the road itself.
Princeton Hydro was contracted by East Vincent Township to develop construction plans to replace the culverts and address the safety and erosion issues before Keen Road is repaved later in 2025. Princeton Hydro had the project area surveyed and used public LiDAR data to build a watershed model to calculate the flow through each of the culverts to determine if they were sized correctly. Without any record drawings of these culverts, Princeton Hydro had to work from scratch to understand how the system currently works and if there would be any ways to improve the performance of the system. Princeton Hydro also coordinated with local and state permitting agencies to attain the necessary permits to install the new culverts.
At the request of the local residents, Princeton proposed to modify the existing layout of the culverts to eliminate the need for two guide rail structures. Princeton Hydro also designed a series of grade control structures along the eastern upstream side of the project area to eliminate the source of the erosion and provide erosion protection along the roadway to stop the undermining of the road. The grade control structures reduce the velocity of the runoff to reduce erosion while also providing armor to provide further protection against erosion. Finally, erosion control measures such as a rip rap apron were designed at the discharge to provide protection from erosion on the downstream side of Keen Road.
The project was put out to bid in November 2024 and is scheduled for construction this Spring 2025.
Liberty State Park is located on the west bank of Upper New York Bay and is one of the most visited state parks in the nation with over 5.1 million visitors in 2018. Princeton Hydro was contracted to design a resilient coastal ecosystem within 235 acres of this highly urbanized setting that provides both ecological and social benefits. This includes the restoration of over 80 acres of tidal and non-tidal wetlands and creation of several thousands of feet of intertidal shoreline and shallow water habitat hydrologically connected to the Upper New York Bay.
Historically, the site contained intertidal mudflats and shallow water habitat, which were filled and developed as a railroad yard. Once constructed, this project will expand public access, improve water quality, restore native plant communities, and improve coastal resiliency for urban communities that are vulnerable to storm events. The site design includes a trail network for the park interior that will provide access to the newly established habitat zones and views of the Statue of Liberty and New York City skyline. This trail network will enhance pedestrian connectivity between the existing portion of Liberty State Park, Liberty Science Center, Jersey City, and local public transit hubs.
To inform the design development, our team conducted design charrettes with various stakeholders and a myriad of monitoring tasks focused on site characterization including a wetland delineation; bio-benchmarking surveys of the tidal marsh vegetation communities; topographic, bathymetric, and utility surveys; and geotechnical sampling such as SPT borings and test pits. Field data and observations were incorporated into various analyses to support the engineering design including a 2D Hydrologic and Hydraulic model and wave analysis, and a detailed Sea Level Rise Analysis to inform the design of various project elements to accommodate sea level rise projections through 2070. The tidal channel geometry, culvert width, and tidal marsh were designed to address increased flows and water surface elevations. Groundwater levels and flow direction were also characterized through the installation of monitoring wells and continuous measurements of the groundwater level using piezometers.
To support the design process, the team developed interim construction cost estimates for various design milestones and coordinated and advanced the local, state, and federal permit process and applications. As part of NJDEP’s public outreach campaign, our team participated in an open house interacting directly with members of the public. We produced a 4-minute video simulating the expected visitor experience using detailed engineering design renderings. When completed, this will be one of the largest ecosystem habitat restoration projects in New Jersey. Click below to watch the video now:
Tanglwood Lake, located in Pike County, PA, is an impoundment created by Tanglwood Lake Dam, which is owned and maintained by the Tanglwood Lakes Community Association, Inc. (TLCA). Classified as a High-Quality, Cold-Water Fishery (HQ-CWF) for water quality protection, it accepts flow from Lake Wallenpaupack via Kleinhans Creek. The drainage area to the lake is approximately 0.6 square miles (384 Acres). The lake itself is approximately 26.0 acres.
Princeton Hydro has been contracted to conduct lake management services for TLCA since 2016 and was contracted to perform consulting and engineering services for design, permitting, bidding, construction administration, and construction oversight for the partial sediment removal from Tanglwood Lake through hydraulic dredging and onsite disposal. Princeton Hydro conducted a bathymetric survey and performed sediment sampling to determine the volume and consistency of the sediment as well as the feasibility of onsite dewatering. Building on this previous work, wetland delineation and a site survey were conducted to collect data to inform the engineering design, regulatory compliance, contractor solicitation, and construction. Princeton Hydro’s regulatory experts prepared all applicable state and federal permits, including PADEP Dam Safety; Soil Erosion and Sediment Control Plan Certification; and NPDES Stormwater Permit for the sediment removal; dewatering; and disposal on the adjacent lot.
The engineering design for sediment removal and dewatering was completed, along with the engineering design for the disposal area of the dewatered dredged material. The dredging occurred over multiple events, with approximately 2,000 cubic yards of sediment and organics removed from the eastern portion of the lake. This sediment was dewatered using geotubes placed on a gravel bed. Once dewatered and all approvals were obtained, the sediment was relocated to the adjacent lot to create a gentle slope off the roadway and to make the site more park-like for the community.
Evergreen Environmental, LLC retained Princeton Hydro, LLC to provide scientific, engineering, permitting, herbicide treatment, and construction oversight support to deliver compensatory wetland mitigation credits required for the expansion of the Garden State Parkway in southern New Jersey.
Princeton Hydro was responsible for completing hydrologic assessments, conducting wetland delineations and habitat surveys, coordinating regulatory agency involvement for sensitive species occurrence, developing wetland mitigation concept designs, obtaining permits for final design plans, issuing contractor bid specifications, and overseeing project implementation. The project also required regular interactions with members of the New Jersey Wetland Mitigation Unit of the NJDEP.
To compensate for wetland disturbances associated with widening of the Garden State Parkway, Princeton Hydro developed a mitigation plan for an 8.4-acre former Christmas tree farm. The mitigation design included a hydrologic study, a water budget, wetland delineation, a swamp pink survey, and a flood hazard permit. The mitigation design included elements of wetland preservation, enhancement, creation, and restoration. After the first growing season, the mitigation site possessed 92% cover and 97% survivorship of woody plant material. The site also possessed a vernal habitat component that supported several frog species.
Upon completion, the mitigation site was conveyed to U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service to become part of the Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge.
Princeton Hydro worked collaboratively with GreenVest to design the 25-acre Lawrence Brook wetland mitigation site. The site is situated at the confluence of the Lawrence Brook and the Raritan River and is an important urban/estuarine mixing zone providing habitat for wading birds, waterfowl, fish, and invertebrates. Its tidally influenced wetlands were extensively ditched for mosquito control and completely dominated by the invasive Common Reed (Phragmites australis).
This mitigation project provided compensatory mitigation for the former National Lead site redevelopment project. The primary objective was to eliminate Common Reed and replace the site with a more desirable and species-rich plant community. The project also included a wetland creation component. Princeton Hydro prepared the engineering plans in a collaborative effort with GreenVest. The design included clearing and grubbing of invasive species, excavation of accreted sediments within the wetland restoration areas to achieve optimal marsh elevations, placement of excavated material within proposed upload forested areas, re-vegetation of restoration areas with native plant species, and installation of wildlife exclusion systems and fencing to prevent herbivory. Although the plan emphasized the restoration of estuarine wetland, the project also included forested/scrub-shrub freshwater wetlands, maritime upland forest, and riparian buffers.
Princeton Hydro was also retained to manage the invasive species control program for the project site, which targeted the elimination of Common Reed, and allowed a number of desirable tidal wetland species to colonize the site. Subsequent to completion of several treatments, the dead stalks and thatch were removed from the marsh plain to facilitate the establishment of planted material as well as allow for plant species present in the marsh’s seed bank to emerge. The wetland responded extremely well to this restoration project and the site is dominated by a species-rich intertidal plant community that includes several rare species.
The Turkey Foot project is approximately 7.5 acres within the greater 1,200-acre John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) at Tinicum. The NWR is located within the City of Philadelphia and neighboring Tinicum Township in Philadelphia and Delaware Counties.
The refuge protects approximately 200 acres of the last remaining freshwater tidal marsh in Pennsylvania and represents an important migratory stopover along the Atlantic Flyway. It also provides protected breeding habitat for State-listed threatened and endangered species, as well as many neotropical migrants, such as the American Bittern (Botaurus lentiginosus), Least Bittern (Ixobrychus exilis), Black-crowned Night-heron (Nycticorax nycticorax), King Rail (Rallus elegans), Great Egret (Ardea alba), Yellow-crowned Night-heron (Nyctanassa violacea), and Sedge Wren (Cistothorus stellaris).
The Turkey Foot project area is an example of one of the historically impacted ecosystems at the Refuge and lends itself to ecological restoration. The approach for this restoration project focused on the creation of approximately four acres of contiguous wetland habitat bordered by a functional riparian buffer.
The proposed design produced by Princeton Hydro resulted in the creation of three habitat zones: 1) intertidal marsh, 2) high marsh, and 3) upland grassland. The integration of high marsh into the proposed design satisfies the refuge’s request to establish foraging, breeding, and nesting habitat for black rail (Laterallus jamaicensis), a proposed threatened species under the Endangered Species Act of 1973. Our approach also included a robust invasive species management plan and adaptive management monitoring program that guided the development of the restored site towards the ultimate goal of establishing a diverse and productive coastal ecosystem within the Turkey Foot project area.
Princeton Hydro conducted wetland delineation, biological benchmarks, and reporting, including a Wetland Delineation Report prepared in compliance with the USACE Nationwide Permit #27 requirements. Additionally, Princeton Hydro’s role included developing engineering plans for the restoration and enhancement of the Turkey Foot project area, mapping topographic and bathymetric existing conditions, assisting with permitting and regulatory approvals, and overseeing construction implementation.
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