o'port asks for $1M more for creek cleanup

O'port asks for $1M more for creek cleanup
BY KENNY WALTER Staff Writer

OCEANPORT — Oceanport Mayor Michael Mahon has requested $1 million in federal appropriations to dredge the Branchport Creek and remove fecal contamination.

Mahon made the request in a letter addressed to Rep. Rush Holt (D-6th District), seeking support in obtaining this special appropriation.

"As you know, the Borough of Oceanport has partnered with Monmouth Park racetrack and its operator the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority (NJSEA) to end the runoff of contaminated storm water into Branchport Creek," the letter states.

The letter states that in October 2008, the borough of Oceanport's governing body agreed to seek funding as a conduit borrower from the N.J. Environmental Infrastructure Trust on behalf of the NJSEA.

"Since that time, the governing body has continued the application process and is currently seeking $22 million in low-interest loans to support the storm-water management solution under design for Monmouth Park," the letter states.

A new plan to end the pollution of Branchport Creek outlined last month calls for measures including detention basins, vegetative fields, and a pumping station at Monmouth Park in Oceanport.

On May 11, officials with the racetrack and the NJSEA held a town hall-style meeting at Oceanport Borough Hall to unveil plans to reduce the amount of storm water from Monmouth Park that enters Branchport Creek.

The proposed upgrades call for the construction of a roughly 4-acre detention basin, a pump station, and a series of drainage piping that could reduce the amount of contaminated runoff from the horse track to virtually zero.

"The objectives ultimately are to improve the water quality of the Branchport Creek and to assure that the track complies with a permit requirement the DEP [state Department of Environmental Protection] has for concentrated animal feeding operations," explained Brian McPeak, an engineer with the Warren-based PS&S Integrated Design and Engineering, the engineering firm that is handling the design and implementation of the project.

Mahon's letter said, "The cleanup of the river bed can't be left for Mother Nature alone. Funding must be provided to complete the dredging of Branchport Creek beyond the Branchport Avenue bridge to the west side immediately adjacent to Monmouth Park."

Mahon stated that state funding is essential for this project to be successful.

"Federal dollars are a critical resource that must fill the gap in state funding," Mahon continued.

Mahon also called on Rep. Frank Pallone Jr. (D-6th District) as well as Sens. Frank Lautenberg and Robert Melendez to support the additional $1 million to supplement the current appropriation, which is $4.2 million, and to dedicate new dollars to the creek.

According to Oceanport Councilman Joseph Irace, the $4.2 million is federal stimulus money and is to be used to dredge the Navesink and Shrewsbury rivers.

Plans for the storm-water system improvement project call for the construction of an improved storm-sewer system to collect runoff from the Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFO) areas; the construction of a pumping station to convey the collected waters to a detention basin; the construction of a vegetated detention basin that will have the ability to hold 7.8 million gallons of water and feature 2.7 acres of constructed wetlands; and the construction of a force main to convey the detained water from the basin to the Two Rivers Water Reclamation Authority (TRWRA) up to a maximum of 500,000 gallons of water a day. The improvement project will be broken down into a four-phase plan that will be implemented over a four-year period and is expected to be completed in the summer of 2012.

The first phase of the roughly $22 million project has already begun and has seen gutters placed on the roofs of the majority of the structures around the park property, including the backstretch area where the horse stalls are located.

According to Don Sharp, the lead engineer with PS&S on the project, runoff from the roofs of the park's structures is considered clean and can be released into the creek without fear of it contaminating the waters.

However, that water is currently collected with the same contaminated water as the rest of the park. With the addition of gutters on the park structures, the water will now be able to be separated from the park's contaminated water and can be sent out to the creek.

In addition to the separation of the roof runoff from the contaminated water, the first phase also includes upgrades to the park's drainage pipe connection with TRWRA.

The Branchport Creek, which runs between Oceanport and Long Branch, is a tributary of the Shrewsbury River. The river meets the Navesink River before emptying into the Atlantic Ocean.

According to Mahon, the borough has been participating with the Two River Council of Mayors in seeking to dredge the Navesink and Shrewsbury rivers. Branchport Creek would be included in this project.

Staff Writer Dan Howley contributed to this story.

Contact Kenny Walter at

kwalter@gmnews.com.


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