Neptune’s Dilemma
Neptune’s Dilemma – Inconsistency on Environmental Matters and Overconcern for Increasing Tax Ratables at the Expense of Local Communities
The matter of accelerated eutrophication (the aging process by which a body of water gets filled in) of many of the State’s lakes, ponds and estuaries has been a matter of concern for over half a century at least. It is no mystery as to what causes it. This includes both unavoidable and avoidable processes. The unavoidables include the leaves and other vegetation, both dead and alive that are produced in the upstream drainage basin and are washed downstream to settle in these quiescent bodies of water, as well as that which grows and dies within the body of water itself. The avoidables are things such as soils from improperly managed construction projects, excessive nutrient loading such as from excessively fertilizing lawns, improper care in the handling of domestic animal waste, inadequate treatment and disposal of domestic and industrial waste, and the improper handling of storm water runoff, including not placing trash etc. into, or where it can wash into, storm drains. All of these avoidables must be dealt with properly and consistently throughout the drainage basin if we are to be as successful as possible in reducing the rates of eutrophication and the inevitable costs of dealing with the results (e.g., dredging, spoils drying and rehandling sites, ultimate spoil disposal sites, etc., etc.).<–more–>
Neptune Township appears to have the legal authorities to control most if not all of these avoidables. With their dominant “ownership” of the Shark River and its two major tributaries, Shark River Brook and Jumping Brook, they should have more than enough incentive to do the right thing and to take the lead in getting the other municipalities within the drainage basin to do the right thing as well. Unfortunately, this has not been the case and there is no overseeing authority to prevent these “avoidables” from happening.
Not only that, but Neptune does not even employ its own rules, regulations and ordinances in deciding what an applicant for a major project can or can’t do. Take, for example, the application to build a car wash/lube facility by 1019 LLC on the 1019 Old Corlies Avenue property. Their Board of Adjustment had the option of requiring the storm water from this almost one acre of paved area to be routed to an existing storm sewer system about 75 feet away that emptied into an already in-place large (1-2 acres) detention/infiltration basin which would have been the “right thing to do” to protect the downstream waters to the extent possible. Instead, they opted to approve a plan to collect the runoff from a multiacre area including about 4-5 acres of paved roadway and driveways, numerous acres of lawns and roof tops, a gas station with a documented contamination problem, as well as the car wash/lube facility itself, and construct more than 600 feet of storm sewer along Old Corlies Avenue to connect it into an existing storm sewer that will discharge the storm water, as well as whatever it collects, and discharge it unchecked, unfiltered and untreated directly into Shark River Brook, a stream classified FW-2, Trout Maintenance and Category One by the State because of its special biological significance and its use as a source of public potable water. In addition, it serves as the core of the County’s Shark River Park.
The Board of Adjustment didn’t even require an Environmental Impact Statement, as required by their own Ordinance, in making their decision.
The obvious question posed by the Board of Adjustment’s action is why did they approve the more expensive, less environmentally sound, and more neighborhood intrusive option over the less expensive, more environmentally sound, and more neighborhood compatible option? OCAPA’s judgment is that this was a quid pro quo deal wherein the Board of Adjustment approved the car wash/lube facility application, despite the many reasons they had not to, in exchange for some 600 feet of storm sewer infrastructure that isn’t even needed. Its amazing how little regard the Board of Adjustment and the Neptune officials have for the individual communities that make up the township and the environment when they have the opportunity to increase tax ratables. In this case the impacted community is Hamilton, originally Trap, Greenville, and Shark River Village, the Birthplace of Ocean Grove and Neptune Township. The Township’s irresponsible action resulted in the demolition of one of the core historic structures in this community ~ a pre-Civil War 164 year old Victorian style eleven room house.
Their actions in this matter are inexcusable and not in accord with protecting the waterways and the Shark River Estuary, and approval of the project should be rescinded. What they approved is definitely not in the interest of decelerating the rate of eutrophication in the estuary or protecting the tributaries thereto. I wonder, will the Township move to correct this matter on their own or, if not, will the higher levels of government out there have the chutzpah to make them do it?
Take note that Neptune recently appointed many of the same people to its Board of Adjustment that acted irresponsibly in the handling of the 1019 LLC application. In view of the expressed commitment of the Township Committee to get Shark River dredged, how can they put up with a Board of Adjustment that acts contrary to what they are trying to accomplish?
A. Bruce Pyle
Charter Member of OCAPA
Retired Chief, Bureau of Fisheries
NJ Division of Fish and Wildlife
Letter presented to the Mayor and Township Committee
Letter presented to the Mayor and Township Committee with Petition signed by 131 residents urging the Township do something to save 1019 Old Corlies Avenue from demolition – The Township Committee waited 27 days after this request to call an emergency meeting and announce that they would take their own BOA to court. The judge ruled that the demolition was separate from the car wash application and the applicant had the right to raize the house. The house was demolished October 2nd, 2007.
Filed under Archives | Comment (0)September 2008 OCAPA Newsletter.
September 2008 Ocapa Newsletter. Download Here.
