The Upper Wetlands Boundary/Upper Wetlands Limit data is composed of two wetlands limit lines mapped in two separate NJDEP mapping programs. Those arcs identified as the Upper Wetlands Boundary (UWB) were delineated under the Wetlands Act of 1970 (N.J.S.A. 13:9A-1 et seq). The intent of this act was to regulate development in tidal wetlands of the state. The initial task outlined in the legislation was to identify and map where those tidal wetlands existed in the state. The tidal wetlands delineations were based on the presence of 25 common tidal marsh species, as well as the extent of tidally flowed bare ground. Areas delineated in the original program extend from Trenton on the Delaware River, south around the Cape May Peninsula, and then north to Perth Amboy on the Arthur Kill. UWB delineations under this program were officially promulgated, and the original UWB arcs form a legal regulatory boundary line. While tidally influenced areas do exist north of Perth Amboy, these areas were not mapped in this program due to funding constraints. In 1987, New Jersey passed the Freshwater Wetlands Protection Act (N.J.S.A. 13:9B-1). As part of the requirements of that act, the NJDEP was required to map all non-tidal wetlands of the state, as they existed on 1986 photo basemaps in a separate freshwater wetlands (FWW) mapping program. As tidal areas of the state were already under tidal wetlands regulations, they were to be excluded from the FWW regulations and from the FWW mapping program. Since the UWB, where it existed, was the regulatory boundary for the tidal wetlands program, it was incorporated into the FWW maps to identify the lower, or seaward, limit of the areas under FWW jurisdiction and mapping. All areas below the UWB were excluded from the FWW program; all areas above the UWB were to be mapped. Where the UWB had not been delineated, a functionally similar line was delineated from the 1986 products used in the FWW mapping to separate tidal from non-tidal areas. As with the UWB, areas below, or seawards, of this line were not mapped under the FWW program. However, since this new line was not delineated through the same procedures as the original UWB, and is not a promulgated regulatory line, it is not to be considered analogous to the UWB. To distinguish this new line from the original UWB, it has been given a new name, the Upper Wetlands Limit (UWL). The data layer also includes another type of coded line. To clarify the UWB delineation along the Atlantic coast barrier island area, the land/water interface as delineated in a 1986 land use/ land cover mapping project was also included. These arcs are identified as COASTLINE in the data set. These arcs do represent any delineations based on vegetation or other parameters associated with the UWB or UWL. Both of these lines were digitized as part of the FWW mapping program, and the UWB/UWL data layer has been extracted from the FWW maps, as described in the Process Steps.

Please note that this file is large, ~150 MB, and may take a substantial amount of time to download especially on slower internet connections.Shapefile (NJ State Plane NAD 1983) download: Click "Open" or Click hereThis data was created by combining two separate data sets, the land use/land cover layer from the Integrated Terrain Unit Maps (ITUM) for this county and the freshwater wetlands (FWW) layer generated under the New Jersey Freshwater Wetlands Mapping Program. The Arc/INFO LULC coverage has been converted to an ArcView shapefile for distribution. The ITUM land use/land cover was photo interpreted from 1986 color infrared (CIR) 1:58000 aerial photos, and delineated using a modified Anderson et al. 1976, classification system to 1:24000 rectified photo-basemaps. These basemaps complied with National Map Accuracy Standards (NMAS) as individual quadrangles but were not produced from a sophisticated aero-triangulation photogrammetric solution. Minimum mapping unit = 2.5 acres. The ITUM land use/land cover was integrated with three other sources (soils, USGS floodprone areas, and 1906 Atlas Sheet Geology) based on coincident features. The four data layers have subsequently been split out into four separate themes for distribution and use. Beginning in 1998, the NJDEP does not support the data as a single integrated ITUM theme but rather as four separate themes. Freshwater wetlands delineations were made on 1986 orthophoto quarterquad basemaps (1:12000) by photo interpretation of 1986 CIR photos. The classification system used was a modified Cowardin system (Cowardin, et al., 1979). All freshwater wetland polygons greater than 1 acre in area and all linear freshwater wetland features greater than 10 feet in width were mapped. The 1986 quarterquad basemaps meet NMAS and are orthophotos.

New_Jersey_1971_78_Digitized_Shoreline.zip features a digitized historic shoreline for the New Jersey coastline (Point Pleasant, NJ to Longport, NJ) from 1971 to 1978. Imagery of the New Jersey coastline was acquired from the New Jersey Geographic Information Network (NJGIN) as two images: “1970 NJDEP Wetlands Basemap” (1971-78) and the “1977 Tidelands Basemaps” (1977-78). These images are available as a web mapping service (WMS) through the NJGIN website (https://njgin.state.nj.us/NJ_NJGINExplorer/jviewer.jsp?pg=wms_instruct). To reduce digitizing error, the imagery was acquired on a hard drive from the NJGIN via personal communication. Using ArcMap 10.3.1, the "1970 NJDEP Wetlands Basemap" was used to delineate and digitize historical foreshore, backshore, mainland, and island shoreline positions, with the “1977 Tidelands Basemaps” being used to fill in missing shorelines and clarify areas of uncertainty from the 1970s imagery. These shorelines were digitized for use in long-term shoreline and wetland analyses for Hurricane Sandy wetland physical change assessment.

In New Jersey, the Legislature decided to incorporate the EPA Priority Wetland List into the Freshwater Wetlands Protection Act and Rules to ensure that the State program complied and is consistent with the federal program. As a result, the New Jersey Freshwater Wetlands Act prohibited the use of certain general permits within areas on this list. Wetlands are identified as EPA priority based on the following factors: 1. Unique habitat for fauna of flora; 2. Unusual or regionally rare wetland types; 3. Ecologically important and under threat of development; 4. Important to surface water systems; 5. critical to protect water supplies; and 6. Valuable for and provide flood "storage capacity. All priority areas are listed by specific geographic area. Specific geographic areas include particular wetland areas with a defined geographic boundary (e.g., Great Piece Meadows) or a particular wetland system with defined boundaries (e.g., wetlands of the Passaic River Basin). Note on dates: Original 1989; Updated 03/1994; Digitized 01/01/2014 to 06/01/2014

Riparian areas in the Highlands are defined and mapped by hydrologic properties of land cover, soil, and evidence of inundation. Riparian areas include the integration of flood prone areas, riparian soils, wetlands and streams, and wildlife corridors. Flood Prone Areas: defined as U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) documented and undocumented flood prone areas and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) 100-year floodplain. Riparian Soils: defined as a hydric soil, a soil exhibiting a shallow depth to seasonal high water table, or alluvial soil (NRCS). Wetlands and Streams: defined as all mapped streams and wetlands that are adjacent to a stream as identified in the Highlands Open Water Inventory. Wildlife Corridors: defined as a 300-foot corridor on each mapped stream bank or from the stream centerline if no stream bank is mapped.

This is a subset of slope mapping which constitues the Steep Slope Protection Area in the Highlands Region showing areas that are a minimum of 5,000 square feet for any combination of the following categories of steep slopes: Severely Constrained Slopes: All lands with slopes of 20% or greater and lands within Riparian Areas with slopes of 10% and greater Moderately Constrained Slopes: All non-Riparian Area lands having a slope of 15% to less than 20% which are forested Constrained Slopes: All non-Riparian Area lands having a slope of 15% to less than 20% which are non-forested with one or more of the following characteristics: a) highly susceptible to erosion; b) shallow depth to bedrock; or c) a Soil Capability Class indicative of wet or stony soils. Limited Constrained Slopes: All non-Riparian Area lands having a slope of 15% to less than 20%, which are non-forested, are not highly susceptible to erosion, and do not have a shallow depth to bedrock or a Soil Capability Class indicative of wet or stony soils. Steep slopes within the Highlands Region play an important ecological, recreational, scenic, and functional role. Steep slopes and rocky ridgelines provide specialized habitats that are home to rare plant and animal species. Areas of steep slope provide popular recreational opportunities including hiking, climbing, and wildlife observation. Ridgelines, hillsides, and steep slopes provide scenic views and vistas, which contribute to the rural character of the Highlands Region and help to define the landscape. Disturbance of areas containing steep slopes can trigger erosion and sedimentation, resulting in the loss of topsoil. Silting of wetlands, lakes, ponds, and streams damages and degrades wetland and aquatic habitats, especially trout streams that are found throughout the Highlands and receive the State’s highest water quality protections. Steep slope disturbance can also result in the loss of habitat quality, degradation of surface water quality, silting of wetlands, and alteration of drainage patterns. These processes, when severe, can also result in land slumping and landslides that can damage both developed property and ecosystems. The severity and extent of slopes, soil characteristics, and land cover all affect the potential for damages from the disturbance of steep slopes. The identification and classification of steep slopes is important in order to effectively manage critical natural resources in the Highlands Region.