(Cherry Hill, NJ) – The Board of County Commissioners and Camden County Municipal Utility Authority (CCMUA) have resumed an expansive project to improve the water quality of Newton Creek, with crews resuming dredging and vegetation removal today, July 1, 2021.
The totality of the project will affect the waterway stretching from Cuthbert Boulevard to the vicinity of the Black Horse Pike and will primarily remove sediment from the creek and improve natural infrastructure, including riparian buffers to reduce the effect of future sedimentation.
The Board will continue to host public meetings on this investment into the park system virtually on Thursday, July 15, at 7 p.m. at camdencounty.com/live.
“Dredging was paused in December as the winter months kept our crews from being able to continue until warmer weather returned,” said Commissioner Jeff Nash, liaison to the Parks Department. “Now that we are back in the water, dredging will start between Lees Lane and Bettlewood Avenue, and continue through the western sections of Peter’s Creek and additional sections of the lake until work is paused again this winter.”
The Commissioner Board and the CCMUA worked with the Camden County Soil Conservation District, Delaware Riverkeeper, and the Newton Creek Watershed Association to ensure that the project is environmentally sound. This process has included working with each group to spread information about the steps parkgoers can take to help keep the creek safe and clean for everyone.
The project represents a substantial investment in the health of the creek and the continued enjoyment of Camden County’s parks and waterways. In addition to dredging, the scope of the project includes preserving and building-up the banks of the creek, supporting and allowing riparian buffers to grow, and trying to end much of the non-source point pollution that has contributed to the sedimentation of the waterway and spatterdock growth suffocating the creek.
Sedimentation is a natural process that occurs as soils and other matter collect in the bed of a lake or river. Sediment problems can disrupt drainage systems and other complications for the waterway. The project approved by the commissioners will remove sediment from Newton Creek, and by doing so, improve water access and quality. In addition, improvements planned to stabilize surrounding streambanks and outlays will slow any future sedimentation.