2023 Wesley Lake Commission
Meeting Schedule
| September 19 | |
| October 17 | |
| No November Meeting | |
| December 19 |
Floating Islands Installed
Floating Islands were installed in Wesley Lake in the Spring of 2020. The islands are beneficial to the Lake because they maintain better water quality, increase water clarity, and may improve oxygen availability in deeper water. Some manufacturers have even claimed that these islands can increase the fish production in ponds.
Funding to design and install the floating islands was provided by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection’s 319 H Grant. The Deal Lake Commission, a private not for profit agency, along with Princeton Hydro, experts in the field of stormwater management, wrote and managed the grant.
Deal, Sunset and Wesley all benefited from the grant with a variety of water quality enhancements which manage the water entering and in the lakes to filter out pollutants and sludge. The projects included the floating islands, raingardens, manufactured treatment devices and tree boxes,
The Floating Islands contain:
blue flag iris
shallow sedge
swamp rose mallow
swamp milkweed
spotted joe pye weed
green bulrush
Wesley Lake Raingardens Installed
The Wesley Lake Commission is pleased to announce that the two rain garden installations have now been completed in Ocean Grove along Wesley Lake.
The gardens manage stormwater loading to the Lake by retrofitting the existing catch basin system, creating pocket gardens and stabilizing the eroding edges of the Lake near the bulkhead. In short, the water entering the lake will now be filtered naturally, therefore cleaner, and cause less damage to the areas around the Lake.
Funding to design and install the rain gardens, repair and replace adjacent sidewalks and cement drains was provided by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection’s 319 H Grant. The Deal Lake Commission, a private not for profit agency, along with Princeton Hydro, experts in the field of stormwater management, wrote and managed the grant. Leon S. Avakian, Inc., Consulting Engineers, designed the raingardens and oversaw their installation. Both Deal and Sunset Lakes received funding for floating wetlands (islands), manufactured treatment devices and tree boxes, all of which manage the water entering and in the lakes to filter out pollutants and sludge.
The Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association, which owns the land on the southern side of Wesley Lake and was a cooperative member of the team, understands the importance of better water quality in the Lake, which ultimately flows in the Ocean.
Thank you to all of those who participated in this collaborative effort. It is an important step towards improving, creating and maintaining a balanced ecological system.
Please spend some time this fall walking around Wesley Lake and enjoying the natural environment.
The Deal Lake Commission, in partnership Wesley and Sunset Commissions, was successful in securing a Clean Water Act Grant from the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, for $735,000, that benefits all three lakes. Princeton Hydro specializes in water resources engineering is running the “Green requirements of the Grant” They use a holistic approach to designing projects that benefit the entire ecosystem and emulate nature. Several projects are being implemented under the grant, the most visible to the community are the floating wetland islands that were installed in Sunset and Wesley Lakes last week. For more details how they work see: https://nextdoor.com/p/JNhzhryhPf_2?utm_source=share&extras=OTcxNDM3
The water in our lakes is a mixture of stormwater and ocean water and is impacted by what is around the lake such as Canada Goose and other animal droppings, as well as fertilizers. Therefore the water can often be off balance with nutrients such as too much phosphorous. Harmful algae blooms can then begin to grow which negatively impact fish and other wildlife. One of the most effective ways to reduce the phosphorus in a lake is to increase vegetation. These floating islands are intended to filter out phosphorus and other pollutants as well as provide a habitat for vegetation and a variety of microbial organisms to assimilate the phosphorus.
Floating wetland islands have been well documented to remove substantial amounts of phosphorus and other pollutants. The islands installed last week were created by professionals, the plants were inserted by volunteers and will be monitored and maintained through the Clean Water Act grant and commission volunteers. The islands were placed in the most effective section of each lake. They must be in at least three feet of water to prevent the roots from becoming embedded fully in the silt on the bottom of the lake, which would reduce the amount of water that is filtered through the roots and therefore reduce the amount of phosphorous that is filtered out. They are anchored to stay in place.
There are no plans to remove them from the lakes. Their effectiveness will be evaluated and the islands may be relocated if another location is determined to be more effective.
In addition to the grants initiatives, Canada Goose management was implemented last summer including solar amber lights that deter geese at night, grape flavored food additive repellant called ReJEX-it applied to the banks of the lake, professional geese chasers and nest identifiers.
For more informant about the NJDEP Clean Water Grant and its initiatives please visit the DLC web site: www.deallake.org
Mission Statement
Wesley Lake Commission
The Wesley Lake Commission oversees Wesley Lake and it watershed on behalf of the City of Asbury Park and Neptune Township. The Commission’s goal is to improve the ecological balance of Wesley Lake and its surrounding area for the use and enjoyment of visitors and residents. The Commission’s focus is on improving the quality and quantity of water entering the lake, the ecology of the lake itself, and the quality of water flowing from the lake into the Atlantic Ocean. In addition, the Wesley Lake Commission seeks to enhance recreational opportunities at the lake and improve pedestrian and bicycle circulation around the lake and across its bridges.
2023 Wesley Lake Commission Members
Elected Officials:
Keith Cafferty, Mayor, Neptune
Eileen Chapman, Asbury Park
City Manager Appointee
Dr. James Brown, Neptune
Edward Lacombe, Asbury Park
Joseph Leone, DPW Neptune
Richard Bianchini- DPW Asbury Park
Two Residents from each Municipality
Barbara Lesinski, Asbury Park
Gail Rosewater, Asbury Park, Chair
Keith Fiori- Neptune
Veronika Sonev- Neptune
Individual Appointed by Majority Vote
Doug McQueen
Alternates
Reverend Beth Whalley Mitchell- Neptune
Jennifer Schimpf, Secretary- Asbury Park
Engineer
CLICK HERE for a copy of the Wesley Lake Rehabilitation Plan
For watershed Information, CLICK HERE.
For the watershed map, CLICK HERE.
Wesley Lake Charter Agreement, CLICK HERE.
