bd0da7ba752c03631e950aea744ffe58.jpg

Cost of Grovers Mill Pond dredging goes up $150,000

By Kristine Snodgrass, Staff Writer
   WEST WINDSOR — West Windsor Township Council passed a resolution Monday to allot an extra $150,000 for the Grovers Mill Pond dredging program after the Army Corps of Engineers reported that original estimate was too low.
   The contract between the Army Corps and the contractor, Select Transportation Inc., allowed for 50,000 cubic yards of silt to be removed from the bottom of the pond in order to improve its condition, Township Administrator Christopher Marion said.
   The Army Corps, who is supervising the project, now anticipates that amount will be reached within the next two weeks, before the area of the pond originally envisioned for dredging is complete, he said.
   It estimates additional 30 percent, 15,000 cubic yards, needs to be dredged, which will be charged at $9.45 a cubic yard.
   Mayor Shing-Fu Hsueh made the pond one of his administration’s priorities, enlisting the help U.S. Rep. Rush Holt (D-12) and others to secure funding for the $4.6 million project. The Army Corps is paying $2.6 million, with the rest picked up by the township. Select Transportation Inc. was awarded a $2.1 million contract last fall to do the dredging work.
   The additional money was available in the capital budget for 2006, Mr. Marion said, and with funding in place, the project can continue without interruption.
   ”They’re already there and dredging,” Mr. Marion said. A boat equipped with a vacuum-like apparatus has been sucking the sediment from the pond since July, when work began.
   The deterioration of the pond has been a concern for decades, and various efforts to improve its condition have proved unsuccessful. Officials from the township, the state Department of Environmental Protection, and the corps expect the latest effort to finally fix the problem.
   The depth of the pond is to be restored to up to 9 feet in places, compared to the current 2 or 3 feet, allowing for more aquatic life. This and increased flow around the pond are expected to control stagnation.
   Rampant plant growth has in the past caused an unpleasant smell for local residents, who have welcomed the dredging.
   Despite the increased workload, the project will be completed as planned before a Nov. 1, Mr. Marion said. Environmental restrictions are in place that prohibit work after that date to avoid disturbing the hibernation of turtles that live in the pond.
   Dredged materials are piped to a storage area in nearby Community Park for eventual removal when the process is complete.