Ocean County Park Shoreline Restoration and Wetland Pocket Creation

Princeton Hydro was contracted by the American Littoral Society to complete design plans, permits and construction services for multiple water quality improvement projects conducted within Ocean County Park. The restoration and wetland pocket creation portion of the project is specific to work conducted during the summer of 2017 adjacent to Duck Pond, the second of three interconnected ponds located within the park. The overall purpose of the Duck Pond project was to reduce the non-point source loading of nitrogen and phosphorous. The reduction of nitrogen and phosphorus loading is a key element of the satisfying the Metedeconk River TMDL and addressing the causes for the eutrophication of Barnegat Bay.

Along 140 feet of shoreline an existing bulkhead running along the entire perimeter of Duck Pond was removed. It was graded back in a way to create two small wetland pockets designed to receive spill over from the pond during moderate to large storm events as well as treat existing runoff from the park during smaller storm events that would otherwise discharge directly into the pond. These wetland pockets were also graded to create non-uniform microtopography for increased ecological benefit. The plant palette chosen strikes a balance between aesthetic design and water quality improvement. Princeton Hydro worked collaboratively with NJDEP to reduce the permitting burden on our project partners. Due to the intent of the project to improve water quality, we presented an alternative permitting strategy agreed upon by NJDEP, which allowed the permitting of the project via the FHA Control Act Rules. This approach removed the need for CAFRA permitting and reduced permit preparation costs, review time, and fees, ultimately resulting in excess funding being directed towards implementation.

Following the project, in-stream in-situ and discrete water quality monitoring was conducted for one year in order to assess the effectiveness of the BMPs. The combined green infrastructure and living shoreline elements of this project set the stage for a much needed effort to reduce NPS loading and address waterfowl-related pathogen impacts to Ocean County Park’s lakes and the Metedeconk River. It heightened public awareness of NPS pollution and the benefits of green infrastructure. The project serves as a model for proper stormwater management and living shoreline creation throughout both the Metedeconk River and Barnegat Bay Watersheds.