A study is not needed and would be a huge waste of tax payers dollars! The Township and County must begin operating the damn in a responsible pro-active fashion and notify residents when there are issues.
The flood last year was a byproduct of the dam gates not being operated properly. The lake level was very high, the gates where closed, it rained substantially and the flood occurred.
This year its the same problem in reverse. Dam gate #1 became stuck open on April 16th. It took almost 2-1/2 months and the lake level dropping almost 2 feet, for the Township and the County to make the first attempt to fix the problem, with sandbags. There where several call made to the County a month ago about the lake loosing 1 inch of water a day. This has nothing to do with the lack of rain or Collings Lakes.
(From Press of Atlantic City)
Current low-water levels in Lake Lenape have officials from Hamilton and Buena Vista townships saying it's finally time to come up with a plan they hope would better manage water sources for the lake.
The plan would likely address how to monitor water flow on the Great Egg Harbor River and other tributaries, including water sources from Collings Lake, in times of flooding and little rainfall.
"It's time to work through that," Hamilton Township Mayor Charles Pritchard said. "We need to take a stronger look at this thing."
"As a good neighbor to any other town, I'd be happy to discuss that issue," Buena Vista Township Mayor Chuck Chiarello said.
But Chiarello issued one caution, and that has to do with having no control over the weather.
"If there's just not enough flowing from the main tap heading down, that could be a problem no matter how hard anyone tries," he said.
Too little rain, a stuck sluice gate at Lake Lenape Dam and a series of closed sluice gates on lakes at Collings Lakes in Buena Vista Township are being blamed for the recent drop in water level in Lake Lenape in Mays Landing.
The Great Egg Harbor River is Lake Lenape's primary water source. A significant portion of water also makes its way to Lake Lenape from Collings Lakes, where private dam operators recently closed sluice gates to keep water levels on their lakes from dropping.
The problem was just the opposite a year ago.
Heavy rain in April 2007 dumped as much as 8 inches of rain in southern New Jersey. Much of that rain eventually drained into the Great Egg Harbor River.
The result was extensive flooding in the Indian Branch and Weymouth Furnace sections of Hamilton Township. Floodwater forced evacuations and buried decks under three to five feet of water. Sections of Mays Landing also were flooded, and officials were busy pumping water out of Lake Lenape to prevent further flooding.
Many Hamilton Township residents blamed the flooding on poor operations at the Lake Lenape Dam. They claimed dam gates were not opened soon enough to ease flooding upriver.
However, Atlantic County and municipal officials said the solution involved more than dam operations. They contend a coordinated effort along the length of the river, from its headwaters in Camden County to Lake Lenape, is the solution.
The plan never came about.
Chiarello said Buena Vista and Hamilton townships can work together and with private civic organizations in and around Collings Lakes to reach some kind of plan.
Pritchard said officials who oversee the Great Egg Harbor River's watershed also should be involved.
I spoke with Brett Nolls of the Public Works department this morning. He indicated that dam gate #1 became stuck on April 16th 2008. He did have dialog with the County around that date, who is responsible for the dam infrastructure.
He indicated the first attempt to remedy the situation, through the use of sandbags, was this week. Unfortunately it was unsuccessful. The next plan, is to put a metal plate in front of the stuck gate, on the lake side. A crane will be required to do so. They plan on attempting to maneuver it into place this Monday 6/30 or Tuesday 7/1. The downside to this, will be if there is substantial rain, in the future and all of the gates must be opened, a crane will be required to remove the plate. He also indicate that there are additional gates in the power house that can be opened in emergency situations.
From the Press of Atlantic City.....
HAMILTON TOWNSHIP - A little more than a year ago, officials were furiously pumping water out of a Lake Lenape that was rising quickly because of heavy rains that swelled its tributaries during a strong northeaster.
Now, Atlantic County and local officials are trying to stop as much water as possible from flowing out of the lake, whose level has dropped substantially during the past several weeks.
Too little rain, a stuck sluice gate at Lake Lenape Dam and a series of closed sluice gates on lakes at Collings Lakes in Buena Vista Township are being blamed for the recent drop in water level, according to local and county officials.
"We're very concerned about this," said Township Administrator Edward Sasdelli, one several local and county officials who met at the lake Thursday.
While National Weather Service statistics show more rain has fallen this year compared with the same period in 2007, Sasdelli said the problem is that little rain has fallen in the past few weeks.
That's decreased the amount of water flowing into the lake from the Great Egg Harbor River, the lake's biggest water source, he said. Operators of dams at Collings Lakes have closed their sluice gates to maintain water levels there, shutting off another water source to Lake Lenape, he said.
Additionally, one of the Lake Lenape dam's three sluice gates is stuck open by about 8 inches, allowing water to drain out of the lake, Sasdelli said. The county may install a metal plate to cover the sluice gate to shut it completely, he said.
The county is also working with an engineering firm to develop a plan for the installation of a coffer dam to improve the operation of the dam's sluice gates. The proposed plan requires permit approvals from the state Department of Environmental Protection, DEP.
"We have been diligently working to optimize the operation of the gates for over a year," said Atlantic County Executive Dennis Levinson. "We are now waiting for the appropriate DEP approvals to proceed."
Meanwhile, county officials are recommending that Lake Lenape boaters reduce the speed of their crafts to 5 mph, down from the normal speed of 45 mph. They're also telling boaters to be careful of underwater hazards that are now exposed or closer to the lake's surface.
"We understand the concerns of nearby homeowners and local boaters and we are doing our best to ensure their safety under these temporary circumstances," said Levinson.
Following an April 2007 northeaster, Lake Lenape experienced excessively high water levels which required emergency pumping to help draw down the levels to avoid street flooding. The rains stopped in time to prevent excessive flooding around the lake.
Now, forecasts call for a chance of showers and thunderstorms over the next several days - a weather forecast county officials say they'll welcome for the sake of Lake Lenape water level.
"Beach-goers and vacationers may not like it, but we'd welcome some help from Mother Nature," Levinson said.
Click for full size
County Addresses Low Water Levels on Lake Lenape
Atlantic County officials are working to address concerns regarding the noticeably low water levels currently being experienced on Lake Lenape in Mays Landing.
Due to a lack of significant rainfall, the water levels are down substantially, according to Vince Jones, Atlantic County Emergency Management Coordinator.
The county is recommending that boaters on the lake reduce their speed to 5 mph and exercise caution to avoid exposed underwater hazards. The normal speed is 45 mph.
"We understand the concerns of nearby homeowners and local boaters and we are doing our best to ensure their safety under these temporary circumstances," stated County Executive Dennis Levinson.
The county has placed sand bags along the Lake Lenape dam gates to help minimize additional water loss and will continue to work with Hamilton Township officials and consulting engineers to seek additional alternatives.
The county is also working with O’Brien & Gere Engineers on the development of a plan for the installation of a cofferdam to improve the operation of the dam’s sluice gates. The proposed plan requires permit approvals from the state Department of Environmental Protection.
"We have been diligently working to optimize the operation of the gates for over a year. We are now waiting for the appropriate DEP approvals to proceed," noted Levinson.
Following an April 2007 nor’easter, Lake Lenape experienced excessively high water levels which required emergency pumping to help draw down the levels to avoid street flooding. More than a year later the lake’s water levels are at a near record low.
Forecasts call for a chance of showers and thunderstorms over the next several days.
"Beach goers and vacationers may not like it, but we’d welcome some help from Mother Nature," concluded Levinson.
Linda Gilmore
Public Information Officer
County of Atlantic
Department of Administration
1333 Atlantic Avenue
Atlantic City, NJ 08401
Voice: 609-343-2313
FAX: 609-343-2194
gilmore_linda@aclink.org
Because of a major leak in dam gate number 1, the level of Lake Lenape is almost 1.5 feet below normal and is currently loosing over an inch of water a day. I personally have never seen the lake this low this time of year, even during drought conditions. The Township or County has yet to officially inform residents as to what the problem is or how they plan to resolve it. After talking with an Atlantic County official, I learned that the County does not know why the gate is leaking and they did make an unsuccessful attempted at sandbagging the leaky gate yesterday, 6/24/2008. Within the next few days, they plan on inspecting the gate with a video camera for debris or damage. If you are or plan on boating on the lake please use extreme caution.
Carl Pitale and his daughter Maddy along with a beautiful Lake Lenape sunset, pose with a nice size bass they caught recently.
As you may already know the township will be unable fund the hometown celebration fireworks display this year and for years to come. Luckly the Mays Landing Merchants Association stepped up to the plate and saved the day by starting a save the firework fund. If you would like to help please send your donation to:
Mays Landing Merchants Association
P.O. Box 193
Mays Landing, N.J. 08330
For more information please visit the Mays Landing Merchant Associations website.
