Some $1.5 million in federal funds from the Emergency Watershed Protection program will be used by New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) to dredge 12,000 cubic yards of material from Deal Lake in Monmouth County, said Congressman Chris Smith (NJ-04) today.
“This is good news,” Smith said. “The Deal Lake community has been experiencing numerous issues such as flooding and ecological problems made notably worse since Superstorm Sandy. There is hope that this dredging, funded through a partnership with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS), will improve the water quality of the Lake and the watershed.”
In addition to the funding from NRCS’ Emergency Watershed Protection program, the NJDEP is providing a $154,600 match.
Smith’s office had been working with the Deal Lake Commission, NJDEP and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to resolve numerous problems with Deal Lake, including flooding during heavy rains and high tides, and ecological and fish habitat issues, and arranged a meeting earlier this year regarding the lake’s outflow pipe. Smith has been contacted by residents who live in the area who hoped that environmental concerns could be eased by dredging the lake, which had been filled with a considerable amount of sand from Superstorm Sandy.
The 158-acre lake with 12.5 miles of shoreline is popular as a recreational site for residents and vacationers for fishing and boating. The shoreline includes parts of the Boroughs of Allenhurst, Asbury Park, Deal, Interlaken and Loch Arbour, and the townships of Neptune and Ocean. The lake is one of a string of unique coastal lakes along the Monmouth County shoreline.
Don Brockel, Chairman of the Deal Lake Commission, who has been working with state and federal officials including Smith’s office, welcomed the news.
“It’s a huge step forward,” said Brockel, who added that he would continue to work with Smith and state officials on disposal issues related to the project. “It’s the first major dredging in decades. Dredging improves lake quality and lake volume.”
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