By Mary Walton
Since early January the Ocean Grove Sewerage Authority has used an area bordering the east end of Fletcher Lake to deposit debris from its sewer replacement project along Abbott Avenue.
Concerned residents watched as giant sewer pipes, smaller ones of PVC, chunks of asphalt, clumps of cement, a discarded cement culvert, pallets, plastic wrap and mounds of earth spread along the lake front. There were no trash cans, and litter left by workers added to the mess.
Several residents raised their objections at the recent meeting of the Ocean Grove Home Owners Association, and 10 turned up at a meeting of the Fletcher Lake Commission on Wednesday. Commission chairman Charles Quixley agreed to write a letter reiterating their concerns to both the Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association, which owns the property, and to Neptune Mayor Randy Bishop. Meanwhile, Jeannine Rudolph, who lives nearby on Central Avenue, requested the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection to investigate “possible illegal dumping.”
As the protests mounted, the pile shrank temporarily and residents cheered. But then it grew bigger. Finally, late Friday, workers began removing much of the remaining debris. And assurances came from multiple sources that the site would be cleared by Monday, when the Sewerage Authority expects to finish its project.
Rudolph said she received a call Friday from a DEP investigator, who told her the debris was too minor to warrant an investigation but that a Township engineer had told DEP it would be gone by Monday. “They are cleaning it up,” Rudolph said. “That’s the important part.” In a telephone conversation with Blogfinger, a DEP spokesman said there was “no violation.”
On the scene of the clean-up, Tom O’Neill, an inspector for Leon S. Avakian Consulting Engineers, the firm that is overseeing the project, added his pledge that everything would be gone by Monday.
As a team of workers shoveled a shrinking mound of dirt into a neat pile, Broadway residents Connie Ogden and Carol Woidt, who had lobbied for action, emphasized that they had acted out of concern for the environment. “We don’t object to the staging part — the pipes and equipment,” Woidt said, “but we do object to dumping.”
“We were very concerned because we didn’t know what was in it,” Ogden said of the debris, “and it was directly on the ground and very close to the lake.” With a Broadway drainage project set to begin shortly, she added, “We’d like this to be a precedent for not dumping unknown debris and dirt on the ground close to the lake. It’s purely an environmental concern.”
Here's how the site looked on Thursday
On Friday workers were cleaning it up. Photos by Mary Walton
It’s sad that the all of the lakes in our area are in such a bad state. This includes Sylvan Lake in Bradley. Just remember when you are putting pesticides and fertilizers on your lawn (and I’ve seen a few people in Ocean Grove and Bradley practically dumping the stuff on the ground) where it all ends up. I’ve seen people putting this stuff on their grass when right before a heavy storm. How badly do you need this stuff, anyway? Invest in building up your soil. If you had good soil you would not need to fertilize, and green lawns are highly overrated. If you really care about the lakes, stop using chemicals, fix any leaks coming from your car, inform your neighbors of the same, pressure the town to build rain gardens or form a group to build one (count me in). If you look into the west side of Fletcher Lake, especially when it’s at it’s most shallow state, you will see plenty of garbage. The garbage itself isn’t so much a hazard but it shows how easily things end up in the lake. Wesley Lake is a disgrace. Somehow life manages to survive in it, including snapping turtles. Of course, this past summer, as I was crossing the bridge, a man had caught one and planned on taking it home to eat, I presume. Great, now there are probably 2-3 more left in there (I have counted about that many).
I woudn’t want to put a toe in the lake with or without the construction debris!
Are there folks who actually think either lake is a safe, ecologically freindly ecosystem whose purity cannot be infringed upon by small quantities of construction debris?
Correction on information for Bullets. Obviously you did not see the dumping area at the south end parking lot because it was not just clean fill and it was not hundreds of feet from the lake.
In order to place the storm drain running east-west, they have to lower the water mains running north-south. So they have not actually laid any pipe that will become the storm sewer;they have been doing the necessary prep work.
And once again, what legitimate environmental concerns exist from a pile of clean fill and other construction materials that are a few hundred feet from a body of water?
We are very much for all these projects that will improve the infrastructure. But we do not want it to be at the expense of the environment. At this point, only the Ocean Grove Sewer Authority project has been completed and only the test pits/gas & water conversion pipes for the Broadway Drainage Project. My understanding is that the actual Broadway Drainage Project has not been started. The Broadway Drainage Project is a project that we have been patiently awaiting for years at the expense of our houses being flooded.
Would somebody please put forward an acceptable AFFORDABLE alternative to the work plans being used for the sanitary sewer and Broardway storm drainage projects. Please keep in mind any additional costs would have to be paid for by us, the TAXPAYERS. The Township’s officials seem to have been responsive to any legitimate concerns of neighbors affected.
I agree with Bullets. You have to break a few eggs to make an omelet and the same goes for construction. When all is said and done, those who live around the lake/Broadway will have a much better infrastructure. Please stop complaining and be glad work is proceeding.
I appreciate the concern residents have for the two lakes bordering Ocean Grove. Wesley Lake is getting a lot of attention recently with a partially funded project to shore up its decaying border on the Ocean Grove side. Fletcher Lake (the forgotten lake) has just as severe problems with the steel shoring collapsing in many sections (one close to the playground). This is a danger for anyone (especially children) who approaches the lake where the shoring is in danger of collapsing. This is in addition to the dangerous practice of using the parking lot area as a construction debris depository.
The township and OGCMA should give Fletcher Lake the respect it deserves and stop treating it like a poor stepchild!
We hope that more residents of Ocean Grove become more proactive in environmental issues in Ocean Grove. We need to preserve our lakes, our beach, our ocean and our land in Ocean Grove whether this is through being proactive in environmental issues or in environmentally friendly beautification projects.