Fox’s Pond Annual Water Quality Monitoring

Fox’s Pond, also known as Parks Lake or Rockaway Park Lake, is an approximately 12-acre man-made impoundment located at the northern end of Rockaway Borough. The pond’s inlet, Fox’s Brook, enters the northern end of the pond, flowing south from the pond’s dam, and eventually joins the Rockaway River. The pond has a mean depth of approximately 1.4 meters (4.7 feet) and a maximum depth of approximately 3 meters (10 feet) adjacent to the pond’s dam.

Beginning in 2022, the Borough of Rockaway contracted Princeton Hydro to assess the pond’s water quality, as well as algae and submerged plant growth, over the course of the season. This project followed the re-filling of the pond after a 2021 dam repair and dredging project, during which the majority of the waterbody was drained.

The monitoring program involves water quality sampling and analysis, site inspections, and sampling of the pond’s inlet, Fox’s Brook, located several yards upstream of the pond, to ensure flowing water. Over the course of the growing season, Princeton Hydro conducts boat-based water quality sampling events. On each of these dates, three (3) stations on the pond are sampled for in-situ water quality data, Secchi depth, discrete water quality, and plankton samples. Additionally, in-situ water quality data and discrete samples are collected at a station on Fox’s Brook downstream of the Chestnut Terrace Bridge.

Macrophytes (aquatic plants) are also continually monitored throughout the growing season, allowing for effective treatment of nuisance plant species and excessive plant densities, as needed. Monitoring is conducted through visual observations, as well as observations of plants collected on the boat anchor and with a throwable two-headed rake.

Lastly, information regarding to the aesthetics and appearance of the pond is recorded during each site visit. This observational data provides a context and background to better understand the sampling data and its relationship to factors affecting direct use of the pond (swimming, fishing, etc.). These observations also help identify correlations between various water quality indicators and factors such as prevailing weather conditions, recently completed lake maintenance activities, and actions by the selected treatment contractor.