About
Conservation
districts in the United States trace their formation to
the 1930s, when national attention was focused on the
crisis of the Dust Bowl.
Congress passed Public Law 46 in 1935, declaring
soil and water conservation a national policy, and in
l937, President Franklin D. Roosevelt recommended that
states allow landowners to form soil and water conservation
districts. Today,
there are close to 3000 conservation districts across
the country.
The
Ocean County Soil Conservation District (OCSCD) is one
of fifteen districts in New Jersey established under Chapter
24, Title 4 of the revised statutes of 1937.
This legislation declared the policy of the Legislature
through the State Soil Conservation Committee and local
soil conservation districts, and provides for conservation
of soil and water resources and the control and prevention
of soil erosion in New Jersey.
Local districts are responsible for conservation
programs within their geographic areas as covered by the
political boundaries of their respective counties.
A Board of Supervisors, five local residents who
are recommended by a local nominating committee and appointed
by the State Soil Conservation Committee, administers
each district.
OCSCD
was organized in 1952.
Prior to that time, Ocean County (along with Camden
and Burlington Counties) was included in the Camburton
Soil Conservation District, which had been established
in 1938.
In
1975, due to serious erosion and sedimentation problems
arising from urban development, the New Jersey State Legislature
enacted Chapter 251, P.L. 1975, the Soil Erosion and Sediment
Control Act.
This legislation mandated that a municipality cannot
issue a construction permit unless the local soil conservation
district has reviewed and certified a soil erosion and
sediment control plan for that construction.
OCSCD's involvement in conservation has expanded over
the years, keeping pace with the continuing development
and growth of Ocean County. Its mission is now multi-faceted,
including the enforcement of Chapter 251, education and
public outreach programs, and the research and development
of techniques to improve soil health and water quality.
