By Jack Bredin, reporter/researcher and Paul Goldfinger, editor @Blogfinger.net
The answer to the riddle above is that they both are unclear.
At the last meeting of the Neptune Township Committee, Resolution #18-153 was passed.
In the meeting agenda it says: “Res.#18-153—-Award contract for water quality* management services at Wesley Lake.” But the kind of “water quality” remediation that this contract will supply has nothing to do with the pollution and toxic destruction of Wesley Lake. It’s about plant overgrowth, and that is not about water quality in the usual sense of the term.
What we have with this resolution is a contract with Black Lagoon Pond Management to treat the Lake with chemicals: herbicides and algicides, to control algae and weeds which tend to overrun the Lake starting each spring and continuing to September. Their proposal for Wesley Lake refers to “2017 and 2018 Pond Management.”
The company will be paid about $12,000 to do this, and the cost is shared by Asbury Park and Neptune. A. Park’s budget is such that they cannot “afford” to share in the cost now, so the Neptuners will pay their half now, while A. Park will come up with their part later in the year.
According to the Black Lagoon proposal, Wesley Lake is in “The City of Neptune Park.” This company has “more than 40 years of combined regional experience” but they cannot figure out which town they are working for.
In the contract, Black Lagoon says, “Aquatic plant and algal densities in ponds are sustained by runoff inputs from the surrounding watershed. Run-off typically carries high nutrient concentrations from fertilizers, rich soils, septic leach fields and waterfowl wastes directly into the ponds. Elevated levels of nutrients and warm water temperatures create conditions favorable for algal and weed growth. Until such time as the root cause of nuisance growth in the pond can be mitigated, a seasonal regime of chemical treatment can maintain an acceptable level of water quality.”
So, have any of you seen a farm with heavy fertilizer use in Asbury or OG, or septic fields, or rich soils (we have sand,) or huge flocks of pooping waterfowls?” No, what Black Lagoon left out was the toxic water pouring into the Lake from (mostly) Asbury and Neptune street runoff as well as OG street runoff. (minimal.) That is the main source of the water quality issues in the Wesley Detention-Retention Basin. As for the “watershed,” there is no watershed map in existence that we know of.
In their contract, they say that the plant life which they will be destroying represents “nuisance growth.” So this plant life of weeds and algae is largely a cosmetic problem and does not begin to get at the actual pollution found in the Lake, and especially in the mud which allows only a few feet of water to exist at the surface. About the only benefit to the Lake ecology is to prevent plants from choking off oxygen which fish need. But will the chemicals harm the fish? It’s possible.
Water testing is done regularly by another company (bacterial counts, pH, gasoline, heavy metals, etc) but they don’t test the mud.
So Black Lagoon thinks we are discussing a pond and they think that the chemicals which they use to kill rogue plants would “maintain an acceptable level of water quality,” but is what they do really achieving “water quality?”
They also say that the chemicals which they use are monitored by NJDEP.
So, what will the two towns do to address the most serious issues affecting water quality in the Lake including toxic and dirty street water runoff? As the contractor says, to get clean water, the “root cause of runoff into the Lake must be mitigated.”
And a key element which would be needed is dredging of the entire Lake, and that could cost millions.
It is fake news on the part of Neptune Township to give the impression that $12,000 spent on Black Lagoon will improve “water quality” in the Lake. These Neptuners have their heads in the sand, and they are playing peek-a-boo with the citizens who care about Wesley Lake.
BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN: From the Seeger Sessions
Katherine Miller,
Wesley Lake’s watershed was cut off and filled in for development over 100 years ago.
The Lake’s inflow now consists almost entirely of dirty street water run off.
Small particles of polluted materials are carried into the Lake along with the street water, and then ‘Sink’ to the bottom.
When the Lake is full, the untreated water flows over a dam, and directly into the Atlantic Ocean.
Because the polluted material keeps building up at the bottom and with a lack of dredging, the Lake now contains only about two feet of dirty water resting on a six foot bed of polluted mud.
When water is low, ducks can be seen standing on mud flats and aerators tip
over.
At this point, in the lake’s failing health, the recommended Pond Aeration Equipment may only serve to stir up the polluted mud that would then mix with the water and flow into the Ocean, resulting in Beach closings.
Thank you for your interest in Wesley Lake.
I am really impressed by the way you detailed out everything. It is really going to help me a lot. Thanks for sharing your thoughts so clearly its nice post. I want to encourage that you continue your great job.
Pond Weed Killer
Last June, Jack and I attended a meeting of the Wesley Lake Commission. An engineer was present. Regarding water quality, this was said in our article:
“Water quality: It was agreed that the water is “not the best.” The Lake is a “sink” for dirty ground water to collect, and nothing is currently being done about that. After a rain last week, one could smell oil in the water which also contains grass clippings, floatables, geese droppings, ammonia, and salt. There was no result for nitrogen. A Commissioner described it as “terrible.” Herbicides were used recently for pond weeds.”
Wesley Lake is pristine. It is a great place to swim. You don’t need any badge – it’s free! I swim daily during summer months between the Embury bridge and the old power plant at the boardwalk. My wife thinks that the skin rashes and breathing problems I get in the summer are due to Wesley Lake. But I think these are due to seasonal allergies.
There is no need to clean up this lovely lake!
I believe (1) The intent of Asbury Park and Neptune Township is to just let the Lake die on its own. (2) the purpose of the Wesley Lake Commission is to carry out their Town ‘s wishes, and (3) the treatment of the water to kill algae is only cosmetic.
This so called ‘water quality management’ will not clean the Lake’s 6 feet of polluted mud.
According to Town records, what is absolutely clear, the Lake is public open space reserved for Recreation and Conservation.
What’s unclear is, why the Commission’s Consulting Engineer claims, and the Neptune tax map shows the Lake, not as a Lake, but rather a pond used as a ‘Detention Basin ‘ for treating polluted street water?