Blogfinger

Wesley Lake muck at the west end. Paul Goldfinger photo. Blogfinger.net 2017 ©

By Paul Goldfinger, Editor and Jack Bredin, Reporter/researcher.

In the August 8, 2018  issue of the Coaster entitled “Toxic Algea Bloom Found in Deal Lake” the unsigned article mixes vegetables  (algae) with one-celled creatures called bacteria.

The article confuses the two, creating a journalistic incomprehensible soup, nearly as dense as Wesley Lake.   In fact the Coaster mixes up the spelling of algae, calling it “algea” in its front page headline.

According to the Coaster, the County  was so upset about the blue green algae in the water that it banned eating fish caught there or swimming in the “blue green scum.”

The terminology is confusing, and the Coaster article failed to spell it out.  The blue-green scum is not a classic algae bloom because it is caused by a species called “cyano- bacteria.”  And that “bloom” can give off toxins that can harm people.  The State of New Jersey refers to these harmful blooms as CyanoHAB  (Harmful Algal Blooms.)

The Chairman of the Deal Lake Commission Don Brockel blamed the algae on warm, shallow lake waters containing “phosphates and nitrogen coming into the lake.”

Brockel said that many of the local coastal lakes are susceptible to such algae blooms, and he pointed to Fletcher Lake which had a toxic algae bloom last summer.

These nutrients cause algae blooms and weed overgrowth, but coliform bacteria in the water is a separate disgusting kettle of fish—an issue  due to fecal contamination of the lakes, and it can  cause serious diseases.  Testing for coliforms is different from testing for HAB’s.

A July article in the Coaster describes drunken “revelers” in Asbury Park defecating and vomiting  in the streets and doorways. So it’s not just the Canada Geese.

Brockel  also mentioned “animal and human waste, along with other contaminants, making their way into the lakes.”

The Commissioner urged the county and the state “to concentrate on bacteria levels in Deal Lake.”  But which bacteria is he especially worried about—the algal or the coliform?  An expert on coastal lakes needs to learn the facts.

But what Brockel failed to mention was the number one cause of such problems, and that is dirty ground water drainage from the streets of local municipalities. On Blogfinger we have focused on that core issue as it pertains to toxic drainage  into Wesley Lake  from Neptune Township and Asbury Park.  Ironically, although Wesley Lake borders Ocean Grove, very little of OG street drainage contributes to the Lake’s pollution.

Strangely, the Coaster reported that “Brockel urged local municipalities, the country and the state to clean the storm drains they control around the lake to help control the problem.”

But there is no evidence that cleaning storm drains would alleviate much of anything—in fact that recommendation  might make the flow of contaminants into the lakes more efficient.  Solutions need to be implemented to reduce dirty street drainage into the coastal lakes including Wesley and Fletcher.

In a document* prepared by the Wesley Lake Commission in 2016, they say, “Water quality in Wesley Lake is  very poor, largely as a result of silt sedimentation and pollutants, including street runoff and feces from Canadian geese.  Algae blooms and aquatic weeds are a perennial challenge. In addition flotable trash frequently enters the lake through storm drains and from the lakefront area.”

The also say that “The water in Wesley Lake consists almost entirely of storm water inflow from streets and properties north, south, and mostly west of the lake.”     And the document specifically points to new developments as a source of more water and pollutants into the lake.”

From “Asbury Park Master Plan: Comments for the 2016 Master Plan Update.”  Dated November 28, 2016.

So, wouldn’t it be nice if these lakes could be restored?    Here are the Beach Boys—due in the Great Auditorium this Saturday night.  Get tickets–they are always popular.