Mendham Lake Estate Homeowners Association Dam and Lake Proposal and Report

Mendham Lake Estate Homeowners Association
Dam and Lake
Proposal and Report









Submitted to the Board of Trustees of the MLEHOA
by Kevin Melly
November 13, 2009
Introduction



As you know during the subsequent week following the MLEHOA annual membership meeting on October 28, 2009 I have looked into the various topics raised as they pertain to the Lake, Dam and surrounding common areas. The experts and their contact information are provided in Section 1.0 of this Report.

What follows is my synopsis from my research. I should state from the onset that most of what is contained in this Report was not conducted with the expressed approval of the Board but by my own initiative. That being said, the Report can be added –if the Board so decides, on an official approved after- the- fact basis or simply record it for informational purposes only. To obtain formal consultation –including a presentation to the Board, the Association would have to hire the engineer. The landscape designer contractor and the engineer from the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (D.E.P.) consultation would be without charge.

Finally, as I have been asked by some members of the Association about this research, I respectfully request that the Board of Trustees submit this Report into the official record of the Association and make available on the MLEHOA website (if you need help in how to go about uploading it to the website, just let me know) I will discuss the differences in the administrative section of the Dam Condition Report, section 1(A).


























Outline

1.0 Contact information

2.0 Dam Condition Report
a. Administrative
b. Physical
3.0 Lake Condition Report

4.0 Remediation Possibilities and Work Proposals

5.0 Reference Material and Estimates

















1.0 Contact Information

A) Mr. Dewey Lima
Principal Engineer
Bureau of Dam Safety & Flood Control
NJDEP
501 East State Street (1st floor)
P.O. Box 419
Trenton, NJ 08625
Phone: (609) 984-0859
Fax: (609) 984-1908
E-mail: Dewey.Lima@dep.state.nj.us
Dam Safety Website http://www.state.nj.us/dep/damsafety/

B) Mr. David Rosenblatt,
Administrator
Office of Engineering & Construction
NJDEP
P.O. BOX 419
Trenton NJ 08625-0419
(609) 292-9236

C) Mr. Michael Seeley
Seeley Landscape
235 Riverside Dr. West
Denville NJ 07834
(973) 722 4007
C) Messrs Matthew Fox and Paul Fox
Canger Engineering Inc.
6-20 Plaza Rd.
Fair Lawn, NJ 07410-3113
Tel: (201) 796-2776
Fax: (201) 796 8383








2.0 Dam Condition Report


The Cifrese Dam

Before I get into the condition of the Dam as I observed, I think I should point out first what I learned from the Mr. Dewey Lima, Principal Engineer with the Bureau of Dam Safety & Flood Control, NJDEP.

A) Administrative Condition
He informed me that the Cifrese Dam is a “Level Three” or “Low Hazard Dam”. He sent to me the NJDEP Dam Safety Section Report on the Cifrese Lake Dam (NJ Dam File No. 25-130) The last inspection of the Dam occurred on 12/6/01. NJ Law What the report shows and he and I discussed it that NJ law requires dam inspections.
The type of inspection is broken down by “regular”, “informal” and “formal”.

The formal and regular inspections must be conducted by a licensed private engineer. The required report must then be submitted to the NJDEP within 30 days of the completion of the report. These inspections have to be conducted every four years. The Cifrese Dam should have received at least two formal or regular inspections since 2001. According to the NJDEP, the Dam should have received a formal inspection in 2005 and 2009.

The informal inspection (this is the one I conducted) can be performed by the dam owner or operator and the Report – this Report if the Board so chooses, “on Condition shall be part of the owner’s or operator’s permanent file, unless requested by the Department, Reports shall not be submitted to the NJDEP.” I would suggest, but it’s entirely up to the Association, that this Report be entered into the Association’s official record, especially given no formal inspection has been conducted in eight years. For completeness of this Report, I would like to review the engineering design plans and appurtenance of the dam (both required even for informal inspections.)

I want to restate that I was not given authority by the Board to conduct this inspection of the Dam and therefore it should be considered that I did this on my own initiative. IF the Board deems so, then it is up to the Board of Trustees representing the interests of the Association to consider this Report for either general research or retrospective purposes of meeting informal dam inspection purposes.

B) Physical Condition
As stated previously, the State does require both for informal inspections. If the Board does decide to use this Report, then I will submit as an addendum to this Report a state required report for all Dam inspections “Visual Inspection Checklist” (See: http://www.nj.gov/dep/damsafety/vicguid2.pdf; pgs 5-17).
The observations were made in the week of Oct 31, 2009 to November 7, 2009. What I observed was relatively minor water and wind erosion on the surface of the dam.
i) Some minor movement of the rail ties and paver stones of a few inches.
ii) Also observed was a ground-hog hole in the front face “upslope” side of the dam approximately 30 ft from the eastern side of the dam.
iii) There was some brush that tall grass that needs to be cut on the downward slope of the dam.














































3.0 Lake Condition Report

The Cifrese Lake

Summary:

On November 3, 2007, engineer from Canger Engineering walked in and around the common area known as Cifrese Lake (“Lake”), Randolph Lot No._________, Morris County, New Jersey.
The Lake is the largest of four common areas under owned by the corporation known as “Mendham Lake Estates Property Association.” This corporation in turn has a board of trustees whose responsibility, it is to care for the common areas.
The Association comprises 49 homes and four common areas all in the Township Randolph, Morris County, New Jersey.
The Lake approximately 13 acres in size and is primarily fed via a creek known as “Dawson Creek” that runs into the northeastern corner of the Lake. There is also a storm run-off that is in the northeast corner. However, Dawson Creek provides all, non-direct precipitation, water to the Lake. The Lake has a damn built of concrete, earth and rock located at the southern end of the lake.

Classification of lakes condition
Lake water quality is most commonly assessed by reference to trophic categories under a modified version of the O.E.C.D. scheme, 1982 by setting parameters for the annual average values for total phosphorous, chlorophyll and water transparency-to assess the level of eutrophication and its effects.
Information on lakes is derived mainly from investigations carried out by the Local Authorities, the EPA and the Central and Regional Fisheries Boards.
The analysis of Canger Engineering did not involve the quality of the water or lack thereof. The analysis was of the visible characteristics of the Lake and Dawson Creek.

Visible Characteristics of the Lake

The Lake is experiencing significant changes The changes show obvious sizeable amounts of organic material that are clogging up the mouth of Dawson Creek and the storm drain runoff from Kingsbrook Ct. and deposited large amounts of sediment into the Lake itself. This sentiment, if not dealt with, will lead to the Lake going through detrimental appreciable changes. The Lake will decrease in size as sentiment continues to accumulate. Weeds will continue to grow on the sentiment thus pushing the northern end of the Lake – the shallowest end, farther and farther south.

Recommended Treatment
An abatement program where the Lake is cleaned of weeds and other plant life that is choking the water flow from Dawson Creek is highly recommended. Also a sentiment basin might be useful in combination with Dawson Creek being corrected so that it no longer churns up so much sentiment into the Lake. This Dawson Creek correction could include cleaning fallen trees, garbage and other weeds. Putting down rocks to prevent churning the Creek’s bottom would be very useful.












































4.0 Remediation Possibilities and Work Proposals

The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection recommends the clean-up of these rivers and encourages the programs with subsidized low-interest loans. These loans are under the D.E..P Office of Engineering and Construction pursuant to the Dam, Lake, Stream, Flood Control, Water Resources, Water Resources and Wastewater Treatment Project Bond Act of 2003 (N.J.A.C 7:24A-1.1). The loans are by law not to exceed two percent over 20yrs."[1] encourages lake maintenance by dredging and restoration by the Bond Act of 2003 means the removal of sand, silt, mud, sediment, rocks, stumps, vegetation, algae blooms and other general abatement and control of pollution of lakes caused by storm-water runoff, soil erosion, etc.
This law was enacted specifically for abatement of the problems seen at Cifrese Lake as the Lake is experiencing almost all of the above.

[1] Source David Rosenblatt, Administrator New Jersey Dept of Environment Protection Office of Engineering & Construction PO BOX 419 Trenton NJ 08625-0419 (609) 292-9236. http://www.nj.gov/dep/ec/lake_loan_app.pdf




























6.0 Reference Material and Estimates

Definition: “ALCA” refers to “Any Lake Community Association”




Source: http://www.nj.gov/dep/damsafety/dsscsf.pdf

Source: http://www.nj.gov/dep/damsafety/o&mexam.pdf






Source: http://www.nj.gov/dep/damsafety/o&mexam.pdf