Wsst Amwell seeks creek study volunteers

Alexauken Creek is classified as a Category 1 waterway, which grants it the highest level of protection in the state.

By: Linda Seida
   WEST AMWELL — The township is looking for volunteers to help conduct a comprehensive study of the Alexauken Creek watershed.
   The creek is classified as a Category 1 waterway, which grants it the highest level of protection in the state. A recent $239,000 grant from the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection will allow the township to begin to identify any sources of pollution and areas of erosion in an attempt to protect the watershed by developing an Alexauken Creek Watershed Protection Plan.
   "Fortunately, the Alexauken is still in very good condition," said Environmental Commission Chairman Ron Shapella. "There are minor pollution problems and some erosion, but for the most part, it’s a very high-quality stream."
   Although the DEP recognizes the watershed as ecologically significant, it "has not been comprehensively characterized or monitored," according to the agency’s Web site.
   By performing a comprehensive study of the creek, the township hopes to keep it in good shape, according to Mr. Shapella.
   "We decided to apply for this (grant) after the Alexauken was under consideration for Category 1 status," he said. "The environmental quality of much of West Amwell is still high. It would be nice to keep it that way."
   The project will be funded by the DEP grant. As part of the grant’s terms, the township must provide $58,000 in in-kind services, according to Mr. Shapella.
   Alexauken Creek is the "dominant stream in West Amwell," he said. "It flows through 60 percent of the township."
   The study is intended to determine the creek’s overall condition, including water quality, areas of erosion, plant and animal habitats, the condition of stream buffers and any pollution discharges.
   Attending a kickoff meeting in West Amwell Nov. 10 to discuss the study were members of the public and representatives from the Delaware Riverkeeper Network, the Delaware River Greenway Partnership, the Stony Brook-Millstone Watershed Association and the Sourland Planning Council, according to Mr. Shapella.
   "Everybody’s very into the project," he said.
   And now officials hope more people will step forward to help out with the study. Volunteers could undertake a variety of jobs, including the collection of water samples, walking some segments of the creek or photographing or videotaping portions.
   "Much of it flows through preserved land," Mr. Shapella said.
   Some parts, though, must be accessed via private property. For those sections, permission of landowners must first be obtained, he said. Also, the township hopes to get property owners involved in the study.
   Princeton Hydro aided the township in putting together the original proposal for submission to the DEP in May 2004. Mr. Shapella gave credit for the idea of applying for the funding to the former township mayor, Peter Buchsbaum.
   According to the DEP, the Alexauken Creek watershed is 15 square miles. From its headwaters in West Amwell, East Amwell and Delaware townships, it runs southwest and drains through Lambertville, crossing under the Delaware and Raritan Canal into the Lower Delaware Wild and Scenic River Area.
   "The creek drains nearly 10 percent of the largely forested Sourland Mountain region and flows through a region facing growing development pressures," the DEP says on its Web site.
   The Alexauken gained Category 1 status based on its connection to the federally protected Delaware River, its value as a habitat for threatened and endangered fish and bird species and the relatively undeveloped nature of its watershed, according to the DEP.
   The township will work with Lambertville and Delaware and East Amwell townships as well as other partners and the public to develop and implement the protection plan, according to the DEP.
   In addition, the agency said, "West Amwell will assess the feasibility of initiating a regional stormwater management planning process to complement East Amwell Township’s current stormwater planning efforts."
   Individuals or groups interested in volunteering should call Mr. Shapella at 397-7121 or Chris Krupka of Princeton Hydro at (908) 237-5660.