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Pinelands Commission science staff report long-term water-quality shifts and rising disease risk for snakes
Summary
Commission scientists reported long-term groundwater and surface-water monitoring showing recent dry-period lows and a statistically significant upward trend in stream pH and conductance at many sites; staff also detailed extensive snake and turtle monitoring and flagged snake fungal disease prevalence and a timing conflict with permitted Enduro events.
Science staff told the Pinelands Commission on Feb. 13 that decades of monitoring show measurable shifts in groundwater and surface-water conditions, and that recent wildlife tracking reveals conservation challenges tied to disease and human activity.
Science Office presenter (first speakered at the Feb. 13 meeting) summarized nearly 40 years of groundwater-level data from forest plots and said staff operate 37 monitored ponds and 47 stream sites across the Pinelands. He said automated loggers and manual sampling revealed that 2024 was the driest period of record at some wells and that long-term water-quality monitoring shows rising pH and increasing specific conductance at many stream sites — 72% of monitored streams showed statistically significant pH increases and 53% showed upward…
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