$2.4 million grant awarded for Sylvan Lake

BRADLEY BEACH/AVON-BY-THE-SEA — The state Department of Transportation [DOT] has awarded a $2.4 million grant for improvements to Sylvan Lake amid what members of the Sylvan Lake Commission called the “worst conditions in 50 years.”

Bradley Beach Mayor Larry Fox announced on April 10 that the grant was secured with assistance from state Sen. Vin Gopal (D) through a 2023 application that was submitted to the local transportation projects fund under the quality-of-life category for enhancements to the lake. The body of water is set between the boroughs of Avon-By-The-Sea and Bradley Beach.

“Along with Assembly members (Margie) Donlon and (Luanne) Peterpaul, we are extremely grateful for the stewardship of Bradley Beach and Avon in overseeing and advocating for Sylvan Lake and I’m thrilled to assist them in their work by securing this grant,” Sen. Gopal told The Coast Star.

According to Mayor Fox, the improvements include the continuation of the living shoreline near Sylvan Lake Park and the replacement of the deteriorating bulkhead on the north side of the lake, although there is no solidified plan for how the funds will be allocated.

“This is courtesy of the recent increase in the gas tax, which increased funding for the Transportation Trust Fund to help local municipalities fund local projects. We hope that there will be continued DOT opportunities for us in the future. Congratulations to the team that worked on this important grant. Thanks for the assist, Senator Gopal,” said Mayor Fox.

The coastal lake is a 17-acre watershed that flows from Route 71 up to Ocean Avenue and drains directly into the Atlantic Ocean. It has seen drastic changes in water levels over the past several months, according to members of the lake’s advisory board.

“This grant will support every aspect of the restoration and resilience efforts at Sylvan Lake. The funding will not only help preserve an important natural resource in Monmouth County, it will help protect the surrounding communities from flooding during heavy storms,” said Sen. Gopal.

According to Mayor Fox, the wooden flume, which serves as a water level gauge and gives borough officials the ability to regulate lake water flow, was significantly damaged. Over the last several months, the eight-year-old flume has slowly deteriorated, causing a disruption to the lake levels that has resulted in several dried-out mud patches that commission members and residents have taken to public meetings to complain about.

After the Bradley Beach Department of Public Works (DPW) made temporary fixes to the flume, an outside vendor installed new wood pressure beams that reframed the flume along with gaskets to serve as a temporary fix, until a more concrete permanent solution can be made. However, while implementing the new fix, the flume was left open for two consecutive days,  resulting in the draining of major portions of Sylvan Lake.

Mayor Fox told The Coast Star that now that the flume has been renovated and is completely closed, the borough is awaiting rainfall to fill the rest of the lake. Once levels are properly restored, the newly remodeled flume will serve its purpose in regulating the flow of Sylvan Lake.

The New Jersey Corporate Wetlands Restoration Partnership (NJCWRP) has spearheaded the Sylvan Lake restoration and resilience project alongside the boroughs that share the coastal watershed. The restoration project was established as a result of the lasting impact of Superstorm Sandy and recent climate impacts including sea level rise, extreme coastal storms and up-watershed storm events, according to the NJCWRP website.

While securing the grant funds and replacing the deteriorating bulkhead has been a major priority for the borough, members of the Sylvan Lake Commission warn that the lake’s deteriorating condition highlights a much bigger problem that may trouble the borough in the future.

SYLVAN LAKE COMMISSION

The Sylvan Lake Commission is a volunteer advisory board made up of residents from Bradley Beach and Avon that oversee the lake. At its April 17 meeting, the commission discussed the current state of Sylvan Lake, the recently secured grant and the urgent improvements needed to fill in the depressed lake.

“It’s a mess. It’s in extremely bad shape. I’ve been here 50 years. It’s never looked like this,” said a member of the commission.

The commission referred to two major issues currently plaguing the lake. The borough has already addressed the commission’s primary issue, the damaged flume. However, the need for dredging is another obstacle that the borough must address in the future, according to the commission.

With significant patches of dried-out lake bottom and inconsistent water levels, dredging could assist with filling the lake according to the commission. However, dredging the lake comes with a tedious process and a hefty price tag.

The neighboring borough of Avon-By-The-Sea is engaged in a shared services agreement with Bradley Beach in a collaboration centered on maintaining and preserving the lake.

While the grant was awarded to Bradley Beach, Avon-by-the-Sea Mayor Edward Bonanno told The Coast Star some of his hopes for how the funds will be used.

“They (Bradley Beach) got the grants…obviously anything we could use toward the lake would be great and that would hopefully help for the project involving the dredging and creating the living shore on the Bradley side,” said Mayor Bonanno.

According to Mayor Fox, the NJCWRP has been working on a grant to secure funding to dredge Sylvan Lake and trench the middle of the lake. The Readiness and Environmental Protection Integration (REPI) grant is being sought to address these potential issues that may plague the lake at a later date.

Mayor Fox told The Coast Star that significant Sylvan Lake infrastructure upgrades are not covered by the recently secured $2.4 million grant. According to Mayor Fox, both Bradley Beach and Avon-By-The-Sea have been working in sync to replace a partially collapsed outfall pipe, which is an estimated $4 million project and permanently fix the flume.

While securing the $2.4 million grant is a start, significant restructuring projects to permanently address the pressing issues is the next priority for Sylvan Lake.

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