Asbury Park storm drain along the edge with Wesley Lake. They seem to understand that they are a cause of the problem. Blogfinger photo ©.

By Jack Bredin, Blogfinger.net reporter/researcher.

According to the 2015 signed “Agreement of Charter”of the Wesley Lake Commission, both Neptune Township and the City of Asbury Park are in agreement that Wesley Lake needs to be dredged, and the Commission will “provide for the dredging of  said lake.”

Both Neptune and AP will share the cost 50-50.  The cost could be $15 million.

Background:

Before the EPA, the DEP, and the Green Acre Programs were established, the Lake would be dredged by pumping the silt (mud) into the Atlantic, and the Ocean would run black for weeks. The only cost was the electricity to run the pump.

Now, after years of neglect, 6-7 feet of polluted mud has built up at the bottom, leaving only about 2 feet of water on top of the mud. When the water level is low, aerators in the Lake tip over.  The Lake needs to be dredged ASAP.

Fine particles of polluted materials are carried in the water from off the streets and into the Lake by water that is flowing in one direction.  When the water is at rest in the Lake, the fine particles sink to the bottom, and the elevation (level) of the mud and volume of mud builds up over time.

The dam, erected about 150 years ago,  is what causes the fine particles to settle or “sink.”

Pollution in the Lake is concentrated in the mud, not the water.  The water continues to flow over the dam and into the Ocean.  The Wesley Lake Commission tests the water, but not the mud.

Just testing the water and not the mud creates a false impression of the Lake’s health, when in fact, the Lake is dead.

It’s only a matter of time for the Lake to become one big polluted mud-flat with a stream that flows into the Ocean.

It may cost over $15 million to dredge the Lake, remove the dredged material, and repair the dam and the bulkhead.

Without money, the role of the Commission is limited to the “cosmetic look” of the Lake, and for that they do a good job.

However, if one day the DEP or the EPA takes samples of the mud, they may find the detention basin to be a health hazard, and they could order the towns to immediately dredge the Lake and remove the dredged material, and there is no money reserved for that in the budget.

The only other option may be to “cap- over” the mud and fill in the Lake.  Then the land could become “The Wesley Condo Complex.”

Where does the polluted water come from?  It is mostly from Asbury Park and secondarily from County and State Roads,  all of which violate States’ rights over flowing waters, the DEP Land Use Regulations, and Green Acre Contracts.

As for Ocean Grove’s contribution to street-water runoff, there are only a few catch basins that empty into Wesley Lake, and if that water from OG were to be tested, it would probably meet State Standards for discharge into a riparian Lake.

If not, a small detention basin could be locaated underground at the Lake Avenue walkway to treat the Grove’s water at little cost.

The well-intended Wesley Lake Commission has become a liability for the Neptune Township Committee.  Neptune and Ocean Grove did not cause the pollution problems, but may have to pay half the clean-up cost necessary.   If the cleanup is not done, Ocean Grove may lose the Lake and the open space.

So what can we do? The simple answer is to withdraw our membership in the Wesley Lake Commission because they are violating State and Federal Laws, and let the ones who polluted the Lake—AP, the County, and the State pay for the dredging.

Link to a 2018 Blogfinger article about coastal lake pollution including Wesley.

8/16/18 BF lake pollution article