TOMS RIVER -- Gov. Chris Christie announced $20 million in grants Wednesday to county and local governments, and environmental nonprofits, for continued cleanup and restoration of the Barnegat Bay.

Christie made the announcement, along with other environmental measures for the bay, at Cattus Island, an Ocean County park on the west side of the 42-mile body of water that runs parallel to the ocean along a major stretch of the Jersey Shore.

The program is phase II, building on the first phase, announced in 2010, by Christie and the state Department of Environmental Protection. The governor said the years of work since then have provided researchers and scientist with an abundance of science that will now be put into action.

"The actions were implementing today make clear our long-term commitment to the health of the entire Barnegat Bay," Christie said.

And they can move forward on his administration's authority, without legislation that needs to be passed. "And we will not burden local governments with addition costs or regulation"

The grants will allow governments and groups to identify and address non-point sources of pollution and other stressors to the bay, and the governor also directed the DEP to begin a focused standard "total maximum daily load," or TMDL, to reduce the nutrients going into the impaired areas in the northern section of the bay.

Christie said the comprehensive plan he announced should not be a legacy for his administration. "But the legacy for our children, and our grandchildren, and the millions of people who will benefit from and enjoy this environmental jewel in the years ahead."

The grant money will come from the state's corporate business tax, Natural Resource Damage settlements secured by the DEP, money from the federal Environmental Protection Agency's Clean Water Act, and other sources, Christie said.

The U.S. Environmental Protection is also involved in the Barnegat Bay work and the agency's local acting director Catherine McCabe, said in a statement that the agency awarded more than $700,000 of National Estuary Program funds to improve the Barnegat Bay watershed.

Jeff Tittel, director of the New Jersey Sierra Club, a Christie critic, said the governor will be credited with a Barnegat Bat legacy - "Unfortunately it's eight years late. Better late than never; however, it's the next administration who will actually write and carry out the plan."

From his view, Tittel said the governor was not friendly to the bay with past actions blocking legislation to clean up the bay. But he hailed the TMDL, saying, "At least now the dialogue has started, and hopefully not too late for the bay."

Kevin Shea may be reached at kshea@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter@kevintshea. Find NJ.com on Facebook.