Letter to Cranbury Residents Concerning Brainerd Lake

[FYI-0n01]

Letter to Cranbury Residents Concerning Brainerd Lake

Letter to Cranbury Residents Concerning Brainerd Lake
Many of you have expressed a concern about the extensive growth of invasive vegetation in Brainerd Lake. To address this concern, we are pleased to announce that beginning Monday, June 25, 2012, we will be implementing a 5- day effort focused on the removal of the persistent nuisance rooted vegetation in the lake through a process called “hydroraking.” .

Hydroraking involves the physical removal of the plants and their root systems . The operation takes place from a vessel equipped with a large claw-like device which reaches to the bottom of the lake and pulls out the entire plant plus its root system. Our plan call for the material (principally lily pads and fanwort) to be transported to a location in Village Park where our Public Works personnel will remove the material, place in a truck and transport it to a local farm where it will be used as a fertilizer and soil supplement.

A field survey conducted recently indicates that while the thickest vegetation growth is in the eastern portion of the lake near Route 130, along the northern shoreline adjacent to Village Park , and along Main Street, there are also sections of thick growth along the southern , Evans Drive side of the lake . The program will focus on the most heavily vegetated areas and is anticipated to control vegetation in at least half of the lake surface. Our contractors will attempt to address as much of the lake as possible during the 5- day period. This is a critical step in maintaining the ecological health as well as the recreational and esthetic value of the lake.

We anticipate that you might have questions about the program. We invite you to contact Susan Goetz on her cell phone at 201-320-1660 (leave a message and she will call back the same day) or by email at SGoetz@Cranbury-NJ.com. Susan’s background in environmental science enables her to best answer your questions on this program. In addition, Committee representatives will be at Lee and David Nissen’s home, 14 Evans Drive Saturday, June 23, 10AM till noon to meet with you and answer your questions. We are pleased to be able to provide this program to protect our Lake. Please call with questions or come by on the 23rd

http://www.cranburytownship.org/notices/lettertocranburyresidentsconcerningBrainerdLakeDam.pdf

[anon-6o5s]

Talk about a waste of money!

[anon-10no]

If you drained the lake for a week then scraped the vegetation on the bottom you would have saved a lot of money. And the lake has been drain a recently as a year ago before the hurricane.

[DEP-818s]

If you scrape the bottom as suggested you will be fined severely by the DEP. You can't disturb the soil. West Windsor spent years getting proper permits and then a couple million to do the work properly. The lake needs to be dredged, but the TC wisely has not bonded for the couple million it will take. Plus unlike the 70s there is no township land to easily use so it has to go somewhere at a cost. This was a stop gap solution to try and prevent it from getting worse.

[anon-26o4]

newcomer to the thread, but have been monitoring the lake for some weeks since that failed effort- What a waste of our Money!! What did it cost actually for those few weeks of slightly less vegetation in the lake? Just like spraying the parking signs a few short weeks before the roads were ripped up- another waste of money, whatever these things costed.

[Lake Rake Watcher-7513]

With all of this study, meetings and raking as per the many postingsto date, Brainerd Lake on August 22, 2012 looks positively awful.
Will someone post the total cost of this summer's project?

[observer-8p94]

[anon-69q7]

I also would like to know what the hydro raking costed us. Where can I find that information?

[question-818s]

Susan posted her phone number and her email address. If you're truly concerned and interested why not call or email her? I am sure she'd be glad to give anyone an answer they seek. Or why not attend a TC meeting. Seems there are many ways to get the information other than asking a question on this forum and expecting an answer.

[anon-766q]

Simple question. Complicated answer?

[anon-26o4]

Agreed. If the forum is used to communicate some information, why not other. What did the hydro-raking cost? Simple question.

[anon-26o4]

"Mayor Cook reported hydro-raking will be done this week to address the vegetation growth in Brainerd Lake. He stated Ms. Goetz will provide additional information in her report." Where can one obtain a copy of this report?

[ok-8p94]

[anon-26o4]

[Susan Goetz]

Hello - I have been asked to reply to several comments on this message board concerning Brainerd Lake. First let me say that while I have committed to being responsive to your questions, I do not closely monitor this board and ask if you wish to ask a question of me, it would be best to do so through my email (sgoetz@cranbury-nj.com) or call me at my home (655-4413). I promise I will get back to you quickly.

As far as the lake weed treatment program we implemented this summer, let me provide the following information:
Early this year, I wrote to announce plans for an invasive weed control program for Brainerd Lake. We scheduled a 5 day hydro raking and removal program with the intention to follow up with herbicidal treatment . The cost of the program was $8255 for the firm performing the lake effort along with a $1000 payment to a local farmer to accept and recycle the material removed from the lake. Our Public Works team provided offloading and trucking support. This effort was anticipated to bring the growth under control for this summer season while allowing us to prepare for a more aggressive and routine strategy going forward.
The effort resulted in removal and recycling of >60 cubic yards of vegetation. Due to the widespread presence of the weeds, the contractor gave us a 6th day free of charge. In addition to the water lilies, the lake is increasingly overgrown with various invasive species, including what are known colloquially as Milfoil, Parrot Feather, and Coontail. We had anticipated a follow-up herbicide treatment this year, yet were advised that treating the amount of weeds we currently had in the lake would have resulted in a large mass of decaying weeds, impacting the oxygen content in the lake and adversely affecting the fish and other wildlife.
Most people agree that Brainerd Lake is an important asset and provides an iconic centerpiece to our Village. Lakes are vibrant, living entities and in order for us to maintain it, we have to consider routine maintenance as a component of our stewardship of the lake. Long term, the most effective management tool would be dredging of the sediment. The last time this was done was in the 70’s and since that time, costs and environmental regulations have resulted in pushing up the economics for this type of approach. A preliminary estimate for dredging the lake is in the order of $2M+, and that cost does not include costs for disposal of the sediment removed. (Note that environmental regulations require extensive permitting and prohibit placement of this material in Village Park as was done in the 70’s.)
Until such time when we can consider dredging, we must continue to look for ways to manage and protect the resource we have, although the results will be less than perfect. Our plan now is to issue a Request for Proposal later this year to identify a maintenance strategy. It is anticipated that the effort will build on the harvesting we did this year and involve routine yet targeted herbicide treatments. By January budget time, we want to be in the position to determine a strategy and cost going forward. It will be important that the residents of Cranbury make their desires known in this matter as budget talks convene. If the people of Cranbury agree that Brainerd Lake is important to our community and we are committed to protecting and preserving it, until such time as we chose a broader management approach to the Lake, we will need to focus on annual treatments.
I hope this answers your questions. We welcome your comments and input.

[anon-26o4]

thanks Susan!