Feds Offer $4M to Restore Cox Hall Creek

VILLAS — The federal Division of Fish and Wildlife and National Resource Conservation Service (NRSC) is offering to oversee and find over $4 million to restore Cox Hall Creek, due largely to the federally endanger plant Swamp Pink growing there.
County Geographic Information Systems Specialist Brian O’Connor gave a PowerPoint presentation to Lower Township Council Monday depicting six scenarios for restoring the reed-choked waterway, which empties into Delaware Bay. He said he met with Fish and Wildlife and NRSC last week, which “are embracing the project.”
“They are willing to get the money to make this happen,” said O’Connor.
Of the six scenarios for restoration of the creek originally presented to the public at a meeting in 2004, only one is workable, he said.
He said a $116,000 grant has been received from the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). An additional hydrology study will be done to determine if 4 inches of rain fell on North Cape May, how much flows to an old sewage pump house near the bay, which is in very poor condition.
O’Connor said the preferred plan is to install a water control structure at the current location of the pump house. The scenario would allow saltwater to enter the creek from the bay to kill an overgrowth of Phragmites reeds but maintain a freshwater wetlands area as well.
O’Connor said the bay is higher than Cox Hall Creek, so it will “naturally flood.” He said the water control structure would be “mechanical” rather than be dependent on pumps.
If the township receives four to five inches of rain, the structure would allow water to drain from creek into the bay. Cox Hall Creek has 14 drainage inlets from storm sewers in Town Bank, North Cape May and Cape May Beach.
O’Connor said the study would concentrate on a design for a culvert under Clubhouse Road.
“One reason why so much is getting flooded is because the water just isn’t getting through,” he said.
O’Connor said five other restoration scenarios had “fatal flaws,” based on studies from the Cox Hall Creek Steering Committee, landowners, Fish and Wildlife, DEP, NRSC, U.S. Geological Survey and two engineering firms. Doing nothing to the creek would not solve any of the current problems with restoring the wetland habitat and controlling flooding and fire danger, he said.
Making the creek entirely freshwater wetlands would require the use of herbicides to kill Phragmites. He said not enough freshwater comes into the creek since Mickel’s Run housing subdivision was built.
Turning the creek into a lake would result in a major dredging project with no known location to transport 730,000 cubic yards of dredge spoils, said O’Connor.
“Talking to NJDEP, there is no way they are going to let us destroy 86-acres of wetlands,” he said.
Letting the bay flow in the creek uncontrolled could result in destruction of nearby homeowner’s wells, storm water flooding problems and require the construction of 7-foot high berms around the creek, said O’Connor.
He said 15 to 20 foot tall Phragmites are choking off the entire creek.
“Water takes forever to get from the storm water outfalls to the pump station,” said O’Connor.
Lee Spruell, chairman of the Cox Hall Creek Focus Group, said the township needed to provide a letter to Fish and Wildlife supporting the project.
He said homeowners had 15 to 20 shallow wells along the creek.
“It is almost impossible that we can carry out major work in this area and not have something happen to these wells, whether it is salt intrusion from introducing the saltwater….something needs to be done,” said Spruell.
He said Fish and Wildlife “can not do anything with private wells.”
Council offered its support for the project.