DLC report: less pollutants washing into Deal Lake
Storm water runoff is the largest contributor of toxins
The Deal Lake Commission [DLC] has published a study that states the amount of toxins that enter Deal Lake [shown above] has been successfully reduced.
Deal Lake is Monmouth County’s largest lake and the largest of New Jersey’s coastal lakes, according to the report. It encompasses 155 acres over 27 miles of shoreline. “Decades and decades of impacts” have washed pollutants into the lake, according to Stephen J. Souza, environmental consultant for the DLC.
Most of the lake’s pollution problems are caused by less than adequate storm water management, a common problem for lakes in urban areas, Souza said.
The Deal Lake Commission is the state’s appointed steward of the lake. The report, “Deal Lake Watershed Protection Plan Implementation Project,” explains how the DLC was able to reduce “phosphorus, sediment, floatable loading” and other pollutants from entering the lake. Floatables are plastic bottles, bags and other items that pollute the lake’s surface.
A “large, underground, multi-chambered vault” called a Manufactured Treatment Device [MTD] was installed in the ground near Comstock Avenue, Souza said. The MTD acts as a centrifuge, separating sediment, oils, greases and floatables out of the storm water before the water enters the lake. Every six months or so, the MTD is emptied by the Asbury Park Department of Public Works, Souza said.
Measureable reductions of concentrated pollutants like E. Coli were achieved. During one storm event that produced an inch of rainfall, 9600 colony forming units of E. Coli per 100 milliliters of water, measured before MTD filtration, was reduced to 4300 afterwards. The report also shows the MTD’s performance increases with larger sized storms.
At the Colonial Terrace Golf Club on Wickapecko Drive in Wanamassa, a bioretention basin [BMP] was installed toward the western end of the lake. Now, relatively shallow depressions filter storm water back down into the ground.
“You don’t need a lot of room and it’s relatively inexpensive,” Souza said. “It improves immensely the quality of discharge and runoff from the golf course into the lake.”
The BMP “translates to annual load reductions of 8 pounds of phosphorus and 6 tons of sediment,” the report states.
Because the two projects came in vastly under budget, the DLC was able to use the remaining funds to rehabilitate the Asbury Park Boat Launch site on Seventh Avenue to further mitigate the effects of the storm water runoff, Souza said.
Another small bioretention basin was created in the form of a rain garden near the boat launch, and improvements were made to stabilize the eroded shoreline. Logs to stabilize the shoreline were installed and native vegetation was planted to help retain and filter the runoff.
“The DPW did tremendous amount of work ahead of time, clearing the area,” Souza said.
The DLC drafted a Watershed Protection Plan in 2009, according to Souza. Funding was secured through the Water Quality Management Planning division of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection [NJDEP] to begin execution of projects outlined in the 2009 plan, he said.
Funds came through a 319(h) project grant, a federal stream and river program that is part of the Clean Water Act, Souza said. The grants fund water quality impairment projects due to outside pollution of water bodies, according to the NJDEP website. About a half million dollars was awarded to the DLC for the project, he said.
The 319(h) project funds are “extremely competitive,” Souza said. Past demonstration of the DLC’s ability to finish projects within a constructed timeline helped them secure the funds.
Much work is still to be done, according to Souza. He remains “opimistic” the DLC will receive more money to complete more projects.
“Only 10 percent of projects stated in the plan have been completed,” he said. “Hats off to the DLC for being as aggressive as they can be in improving discharge into the lake. The project proves even in an urban type of environment, you can conduct projects like this.”
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