The Barnegat Bay National Estuary Program

The National Estuary Program (NEP) was established by Congress in 1987 through Section 320 of the Clean Water Act (CWA) to "identify, restore, and protect nationally significant estuaries of the United States."  The National Estuary Program is administrated by the Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA). 

The Barnegat Bay estuary covers over 42 miles of shoreline from the Point Pleasant Canal to Little Egg Harbor Inlet and is protected from the open ocean by a system of barrier beaches and dunes. The Barnegat Bay watershed is a 660 square mile area encompassing all of the land and water in Ocean County, as well as parts of Monmouth County. It stretches to the east as far as the barrier islands and extends to the west as far as Plumsted Township; it’s bounded on the north by Point Pleasant Canal and on the south by Little Egg Harbor Inlet.

Current Projects

The Barnegat Bay National Estuary Program (BBNEP) supports projects through competitive Requests For Proposals (RFPs), minigrants, and other funding mechanisms.

BBNEP Committees

The Barnegat Bay National Estuary Program (BBNEP) is "a partnership of federal, state, and local interests" overseeing the development of a management plan and the community efforts in the Bay area. The Program is made up of subcommittees who oversee the various aspects of the management plan:  the Policy Committee, the Advisory Committee, and the Science and Technical Advisory Committee.