The New Jersey Highlands: 2004 Annual Report of the New Jersey Highlands Water Protection and Planning Council

This is the 2004 Annual Report of the New Jersey Highlands Water Protection and Planning Council. The Council was created in 2004 to protect vulnerable open space in the New Jersey Highlands, a region that covers over 800,000 acres (more than 13% of the State's total area) and supplies drinking water to over half of New Jersey's population (over 5 million people in 292 municipalities and 16 counties). To preserve the quality and quantity of this precious resource, the Governor signed the Highlands Water Protection and Planning Act, on August 10, 2004. The Act calls for a 15-member Highlands Water Protection and Planning Council, and in the fall of 2004, 14 members were appointed to the Council. The Highlands Council is charged with carrying out the provisions of the Act, including the development of a regional master plan for the Highlands Region within 18 months of its first meeting