FREEHOLD – The Board of Chosen Freeholders has adopted a resolution urging the Monmouth County Board of Recreation Commissioners to support the use of an 11-acre Neptune site managed by the Monmouth County Park System to dry materials dredged from the Shark River.

 

“The Department of Environmental Protection needs some commitment from the county in order to move this important dredging project forward,” Freeholder Deputy Director John D’Amico said. “This does not mean this particular site will be used, it just means we are supportive of its consideration as a potential dewatering site.”

 

The Shark River, a major source of economic, environmental and recreational value, is slowly filling in with sediment from upstream sources and is in danger of becoming a mud flat.

 

The surrounding towns – Neptune, Neptune City, Avon, Belmar and Wall – all agree the river and estuary should be dredged, but they have not been able to agree on a location for the dredged materials. About 1 million cubic yards of dredge materials must be removed from the Shark River to ensure the health of the river and to allow for future navigation and recreation.

 

 “Dredging will not only improve navigation, but it will improve the water quality, the wildlife habitat and stimulate the local economy,” Freeholder Amy A. Mallet said. “The county is prepared to offer a permanent dewatering site for the Shark River, thereby preserving the stability of the region that depends on the Shark River for recreation and economic growth.”

 

The dredging must be accomplished in the fall months, September through December, and it is estimated that it will be done at the rate of 150,000 cubic yards per year over several seasons.

 

 

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