Do you have an idea for a coastal habitat restoration project along New Jersey's Raritan Bayshore? The Natural Resource Trustees for the Raritan Bay Slag site (Trustees) are interested in hearing from you. Please use the project submission portal on the bottom of this page and guidelines below to suggest one or more projects by April 17, 2026.

Background

On February 10, 2025, the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey approved a settlement with NL Industries, Inc. and other potentially responsible parties in connection with the release of hazardous substances into Margaret’s Creek Marsh and the Raritan Bay in the Laurence Harbor section of Old Bridge Township and Morgan section of Sayreville. The settlement for nearly $152 million includes cleanup costs, and an estimated $17.6 million for natural resource damages to compensate for losses of natural resources and recreational uses.  As part of the restoration planning process, the Trustees are requesting restoration project ideas for the $17.6 million settlement to compensate for losses of natural resources and recreational uses. In accordance with the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) and its implementing Natural Resource Damage Assessment and Restoration (NRDAR) regulations (43 CFR Part 11), the Trustees are initiating the restoration planning phase.

The Trustees identified injuries to nearshore sediments and sediment-dwelling organisms, which support fish and bird populations in Raritan Bay. Beach closures and restrictions in Laurence Harbor reduced recreational opportunities, and cleanup activities near Margaret’s Creek resulted in the loss of woodlands.

The Trustees are now seeking public input on projects to restore or replace these damaged resources and services. Proposed projects must fall within the Raritan Bay area and align with the eligible project types listed in the Submission Guidelines. A map is provided for pinpointing project locations. Projects may offer both ecological and recreational benefits, but purely recreational projects without ecological value will not be considered.

Note that habitat and recreational restoration activities are complementary to–yet distinct from–the site cleanup activities.

Project Guidelines

The Trustees will consider many types of ecological projects that benefit fish and wildlife and their supporting habitats of Raritan Bay and the surrounding area. These include, but are not limited to the following types:

• Tidal wetlands restoration
• Tidally influenced stream habitat restoration 
• Barrier removal in tidally influenced waters (i.e., dam removal and culvert replacement)
• Beachfront and dune stabilization
• Nearshore bottom habitat enhancement 
• Woodland restoration or enhancement 
• Restoring habitats that incorporate recreational co-benefits such as fishing access, ADA accessibility, beach access, boardwalks, trails
• Restoration of shellfish and their habitats
• Land protection 

Geographical Project Boundaries

Types of restoration projects that will not be considered include:  

• Projects outside of the defined geographic area of the Raritan Bay as shown on the map
• Projects that do not benefit injured resources or lost services 
• Projects that are solely focused on recreational uses and do not also provide ecological benefits
• Projects that are otherwise required by statute, regulation, court-order, or other regulatory requirements
• Acquisition of land for preservation not under threat of development

Please note that the Trustees will retain and may publicly post project suggestions and associated attachments online and will retain documents as part of the Administrative Record for the Raritan Bay Slag Natural Resource Damage Assessment and Restoration. Project suggestions–including the submitter’s name and contact information–may be made publicly available at any time. 

Project submissions will be screened before being posted online. All projects and attachments will be reviewed based on the guidelines listed above and posted following that review. Project ideas that contain unacceptable content will not be edited or posted. The appearance of external links, advertisements, political opinions, or other comments do not constitute endorsement by the State of New Jersey and/or the U.S. Government.

Please note that content will be screened and will NOT be posted if it:

• Contains vulgar language or material, personal attacks of any kind, threats, obscenity, or offensive terms
• Promotes services or products (non-commercial links that are relevant to the project are acceptable)
• Is far off-topic (i.e., does not relate to proposed restoration of natural resources and services)
• Makes accusations

Submission Details

All project ideas should be submitted to the online portal by April 17, 2026.

After project ideas are submitted to the portal, a confirmation number will be sent to the provided email address. 

Please note: Submissions to the portal may only include one attachment with a maximum size of 18 MB. Additional pertinent documents or links can be emailed to nmfs.nrda.raritanslag@noaa.gov. Be sure to include the project’s name and portal confirmation number in the email.

If you encounter issues while using the online portal, please request a PDF submission by emailing nmfs.nrda.raritanslag@noaa.gov. Completed forms can be sent to the same email address or mailed to:

• NOAA Restoration Center
  RE: Raritan Bay Slag ℅ Carl Alderson
  74 Magruder Road
  Highlands, NJ 07732

Project submissions will be entered into the publically accessible Raritan Bay Slag project database and reviewed as part of the development of a draft restoration plan which will be made available for public review and comment in 2026. 

View submitted projects that meet our posting guidelines.

Submit a Project Here