Spring Lake, N.J. – Partners and supporters gathered in Spring Lake, NJ, on Monday November 21, to celebrate a major milestone at the Wreck Pond restoration project – completion of a new “fish friendly” culvert. The restoration project will have wide-reaching benefits for people and wildlife – including reduced flooding problems for adjacent communities, improved water quality at swimming beaches and better access for migratory species to reach their spawning and nursery habitat.
The new 600-foot-long “fish-friendly” culvert is an addition to an existing culvert, effectively doubling capacity for the natural movement of fish, water and sediment between the Atlantic Ocean and the 73-acre coastal Wreck Pond and its tributaries.
"The Wreck Pond project is a critical project for fish and wildlife in Monmouth County that will not only improve water quality, but will provide important migratory fish passage fish passage
Fish passage is the ability of fish or other aquatic species to move freely throughout their life to find food, reproduce, and complete their natural migration cycles. Millions of barriers to fish passage across the country are fragmenting habitat and leading to species declines. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's National Fish Passage Program is working to reconnect watersheds to benefit both wildlife and people.
Learn more about fish passage to the Wreck Pond watershed,” said Eric Schrading, field supervisor for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service field office in New Jersey. “This project was only possible through the tremendous collaboration of local, state and federal partners and the important work by the American Littoral Society,” he continued. “It will be really special to see a successful run of river herring in Wreck Pond as a result of this project."
The completion of the culvert was expected in mid-December but finished up early, with crews working overtime to wrap-up before winter Nor’easters became a threat.
“The most difficult part of the project was working on the ocean side – basically they were working under six feet of ocean water to install this,” said Schrading.
The new culvert is made up of a series of 5-foot by 8-foot interconnected concrete boxes supported by pilings driven into the sand. A gate allows for control of water flow during severe weather events and the pipe itself is designed to let in natural light, something fish prefer to complete darkness, said Schrading.
Now that the last major construction work is complete, the site will be monitored for sufficient water flow for fish passage. The American Littoral Society, a key partner on the project, has been conducting monitoring and will continue to do so along with USFWS staff and student volunteers. Next spring, crews will install more than a mile of living shoreline and a sand berm planted with native vegetation.
The project was temporarily halted earlier this year in order to protect beach-nesting birds. Monitors found a pair of American oystercatchers and a colony of least terns – “the first time least tern have nested on site since Hurricane Sandy in 2012,” according to USFWS wildlife biologist Katie Conrad. Least terns are a state-listed endangered species and American oystercatchers are a species of concern.
“This project combines restoration of an important coastal environment with reducing the vulnerability of the local communities to future hazards," said Tim Dillingham, Executive Director of the American Littoral Society. "It successfully demonstrates how restoring the coastal environment can help the shore bounce back from storms while improving daily life for people and animals in the surrounding area.”
Flooding has been a persistent problem to the communities surrounding Wreck Pond. In addition to opening up two miles of passageways and nursery habitat for migratory fish, the improved inlet will protect the surrounding boroughs of Spring Lake, Spring Lake Heights and Sea Girt against flooding from future storm surges and high rain events.
“This project exemplifies Governor Christie’s commitment to making New Jersey stronger and safer following the devastation from Superstorm Sandy,” said Bob Martin, Commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection. “This culvert, in concert with ongoing ecological enhancements, will work with nature to protect hundreds of properties in Spring Lake, Spring Lake Heights and Sea Girt from flooding that causes huge financial strain and disruption of lives.”
The $7.4 million Wreck Pond project is supported by $2 million in federal funding from the Hurricane Sandy Disaster Relief Appropriations Act of 2013. It is one of 31 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service resilience projects in the Northeast intended to build stronger natural systems to withstand future storm impacts.
Other funding on the Wreck Pond project includes: $3.85 million grant from the NJ DEP Flood Hazard Risk Reduction and Resiliency grant program; $608,000 from the NJ DEP Corporate Business Tax grant program; and $915,000 from the borough of Spring Lake.
To learn more about the project, click here. To view photos of the Wreck Pond Inlet and Dune Recovery, click here. To learn more about other U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Hurricane Sandy recovery and resilience projects, visit the Hurricane Sandy Recovery website.
