Strawbridge Lake US EPA 8-Element Watershed Plan & Restoration Implementation

Moorestown Township, located in Southern New Jersey, has about 22 miles of streams and 106 acres of lakes and ponds within its borders, including Strawbridge Lake. There are portions of three watersheds for Strawbridge Lake in the Township: the Rancocas Creek, the Pennsauken Creek, and Pompeston Creek/Swede Run. These are subdivided into eight subwatersheds located within Moorestown. In 2010, all eight of these subwatersheds were impaired for one or more designated uses. The most common cause of impairment was phosphorus. As a result, in 2017, Princeton Hydro authored the Strawbridge Lake Watershed and Restoration Plan, a USEPA 9-Element Plan for the management and restoration of the lake and its watershed.

Since 2017, our team has implemented several nonpoint source targeted stormwater management projects in the watershed for the Township. Specifically, the Township has restored and upgraded a passive stormwater basin at the site of Strawbridge Lake Park. The basin was upgraded to be passive, vegetated stormwater conveyance and treatment BMPs that filter and attenuate stormwater runoff from adjacent areas. This project was identified in the Strawbridge Lake Watershed and Restoration Plan.

Additionally, the Children’s Pond forebay area of Strawbridge Lake was also recently dredged and restored. This dredging was also identified in the Strawbridge Lake Watershed and Restoration Plan.

These projects act as an excellent example of green infrastructure within the community and provide both public access and education opportunities explaining the overall lake and stormwater quality. These projects have also included a major education and outreach element. Through education and outreach efforts, the Township has promoted on-lot green infrastructure techniques, including such techniques as: rainwater harvesting, bioretention systems, porous pavement, and other easy-to-implement, grassroots best management practices and low impact development techniques that the surrounding community can use.