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An outflow pipe that allows water to exchange between Wesley Lake and the ocean is clogged with sand, and a pond weed is further trapping debris and garbage in the coastal lake.

City public works employees identified the problem with the pipe Wednesday, according to City Engineer Joe Cunha, who heads up the department.

Workers had opened the spill gate to allow some of the lake water to drain out in preparation of dredging scheduled for next Tuesday, Cunha said, and when the water did not drain out they knew something was clearly wrong.

They narrowed the problem down to a section of the outfall pipe that was extended during beach replenishment in the late 1990s, dug it up with a machine, and realized a gap between the pipe and the chamber [shown above], where the pipe makes a turn before it drains out into the sea, allowed sand to creep in and clog that area of the pipe, he said.

Cunha is unsure how long the gap in the pipe has existed but suspects the increased sand in the area from a recent beach replenishment project coupled with a strong northeasterly wind was what brought the issue to a head and ultimately stopped up the pipe.

“That is our presumption,” he said. “A stiff northeasterly wind for two weeks in a row forces more sand into the pipe. You compound the two issues, and it dammed up in that area.”

After prying the airtight man hole cover on the chamber open the high tide pushed water into the chamber, which Cunha said was “a very good sign.” Public works personnel will use hoses to pump water in to scour out the pipe, but that will only provide a temporary fix.

“We’re definitely going to have to address the separation of the pipe and the chamber,” he said.

Cunha notified the Army Corps of Engineers of the situation, who reported multiple instances of increased sand deposits in outfall pipes up and down the coast, he said.

“They said the outfalls from here to Manasquan are blocking up with sand,” Cunha said. “It’s an unfortunate byproduct of beach replenishment, but should not be a long-lasting thing.”

In addition to the clogged pipe, an unsightly pond weed growing in the lake is contributing to the amount of trash and debris stuck in the lake.

The Wesley Lake Commission two weeks ago was given a permit to treat the lake for the pond weed, which seems to be dissipating and sinking but is trapping trash and debris, Deputy Mayor Sue Henderson said at Wednesday’s City Council meeting.

Asbury Park City Council members voted at a previous meeting to split the cost of the $8,200 treatment with Neptune Township at the request of Mayor Michael Brantley.

Trash usually flows to the east end of the lake where it is trapped and cleaned out by public works employees from Neptune and Asbury Park on a regular basis, she said, but instead it is getting caught in the pond weed and no one is going to go out in a boat to retrieve it.

“We get what we can pick up on the sides, but it looks horrendous,” Henderson said, calling for an increase in making the general public more aware of the harmful effects of cigarette butts, which are not biodegradable, grass cuttings and styrofoam.

“Wesley lake is in trouble, Henderson said. “It needs a lot of work, and it needs a lot of money.”

Councilwoman Amy Quinn questioned whether there was a comprehensive plan for flood mitigation and directed City Manager John “Jack” Kelly to organize a meeting of all the major players from Neptune and Asbury Park to sit down and talk discuss what can be done moving forward.

Kelly said the city is noting expenses and will look to split the cost of the pipe repair with Neptune.

Tuesdays dredging of the extreme west end of the lake has since been called off until further notice, Cunha said.

[Photo at top provided by Joe Cunha.]

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