Matawan completes its first dam inspection in seven years
Waiting to hear
from state about any needed repairs
Matawan has recently completed its inspection of the two dams in town at Lake Lefferts and Lake Matawan.
The inspection, which was conducted by Robert Bucco, the borough engineer, was completed in time for the state’s Dec. 1 deadline for municipalities to submit a report on the condition of their dams. The findings of the report will be released to the Borough Council at the Dec. 5 meeting.
Borough officials met with John Moyle from the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) unit for dam safety on Oct. 16 to discuss the procedure and what the DEP is looking for, said Bucco. The borough has been in contact with the state as to the safety of the two dams.
"The state is responding to borough pressure for study and research to support improvements to the overall safety of the dams," said Borough Administrator Joseph Leo.
The borough last inspected the dams in 1993, although ideally they should be inspected every other year, said Bucco.
Part of the problem lies in who is responsible for ownership and maintenance of the dams, not only in the borough, but throughout the state. It still remains unclear, according to Bucco and county officials, as to whether the state, county or municipalities are responsible for any necessary repairs to dams statewide.
The county does acknowledge its responsibility for maintaining the two county roadways which bridge the dams along Main Street, which crosses Lake Matawan, and Ravine Drive, which crosses Lake Lefferts. Over the years, the borough has done dam maintenance "only when needed," Bucco said.
The recent inspection focused on signs of leaking, the flow of the spillways and the overall structural integrity of the two dams.
"It was a physical inspection, a visual exam," said Bucco.
The DEP will now review the study, and the borough will await the response to determine a course of action. Mayor Robert Clifton said that the borough will look at different methods of funding, including federal or state, to fund any necessary repairs to the dams.
Leo said that any repairs would require "very large expenditures."
According to a longtime resident, the borough used to open up the dam at Lake Lefferts and drain the entire lake so lakefront residents could make necessary improvements to docks or do dredging.
It is unclear the last time the dams were open. They were constructed around 1923 to create the two lakes. Lake Lefferts was created by damming Matawan Brook, and Lake Matawan by damming Gravelly Brook. Both brooks flow into Matawan Creek, which empties into Raritan Bay.