By Lauren Wanko
Correspondent
Neptune Township officials say enough is enough. It’s time to dredge the channels of Shark River.
“I think the fish kill was the last straw for the residents,” said Neptune Township Emergency Management Coordinator Michael Bascom.
Three hundred ten tons of dead bunker lined Shark River about two weeks ago when a massive amount of fish swam into the river from the Atlantic Ocean and outstripped their oxygen supply. The river’s channels are filled with 100,000 cubic yards of silt. Bascom thinks that was a contributing factor in the fish kill.
“The tide gets low, fish are trapped, there’s no water for them. Oxygen deprivation is certainly the cause, but it’s oxygen deprivation because there’s no depth to the water,” Bascom said.
“Had there been more water, I don’t think it would have happened,” said Shark River Hills resident Stephanie Seyer.
“This really does underline that dredging is long overdue in the Shark River,” said Neptune Committeeman Randy Bishop.
For nearly two decades, local officials have been fighting to get the river dredged. The biggest stumbling block in moving forward has been finding a location nearby to temporarily store the dredged silt, which is a combination of sand and mud, while it dries.
“It’s been an uphill battle. We’ve looked at over 15 different sites to try to do it and ticked them off each one at a time,” Bishop said.
Bishop says the township committee won’t stop until they identify a drying site for the material. Support from county and state agencies has never been stronger, insists Bascom. Gov. Christie has said his administration wants to do the dredging project and recognizes it needs to be done, but a location to store the material must be identified. Neptune Township officials have faced resistance from some residents who don’t want the dredged material near their homes.
Local officials say Shark River is an economic engine for the area, but some boaters are getting frustrated and looking to move to a different marina because they don’t have the access to the ocean they used to. Those boaters support the local bait and tackle and repair shops and other businesses in the area.
“On top of that, you have all the property around here dependent upon the fact their property values are based on the fact there’s a river across the street,” Bascom said.
“Yeah it affects property values, yes, but more than that, it destroys a whole ecosystem that was there before and is slowly moving away,” Seyer said.
Township officials are currently exploring other potential drying sites. They’re meeting next week with Sen. Jennifer Beck in the hopes of finalizing a plan to present to both the DOT and DEP.