How can Asbury Park, Neptune stop ferocious lake flooding? Options under consideration

ASBURY PARK - Three lakes — Wesley, Deal and Fletcher — have become so prone to severe flooding that both Neptune and Asbury Park are working on solutions in the short-term and for the future.

"I live on Deal Lake. I have lived here since 1974 and it is the worst flooding I have ever seen, ever," said Asbury Park Councilwoman Eileen Chapman.

More than 7 inches of rain fell in some areas of the Jersey Shore in late September, with Asbury Park and Neptune dealing with over six inches of rain in one day.

Wesley Lake, between Asbury Park to the north and Ocean Grove to the south, overflowed and flooded out businesses on Lake Avenue. There was excessive flooding along Fletcher Lake on the south side of Ocean Grove, and the Asbury Park Fire Department needed to rescue people from cars that became trapped in flood waters.

David Robinson, the state climatologist at Rutgers University, said Asbury Park and Neptune were the picture-perfect representation of just how bad the Jersey Shore was hit, as a photo of Wesley Lake flooding was front page on the state climate website's September Monthly report.

"One of our stations up there had I think 10.4 inches of rain, which was more than was reported anywhere in New York City, which got all the attention," Robinson said.

Statewide, September precipitation averaged 7.55 inches, which is 3.39 inches above normal and ranks as the ninth wettest, according to the state climate report.

'Nowhere for the rain to go'

Chapman serves on the Wesley Lake Commission, which is comprised of representatives from both Neptune Township, which governs Ocean Grove, and the City of Asbury Park.

"What happened was the ground was so saturated, so there was nowhere for the rain to go, so it just went right into the storm drains into the lakes, and then people's sump pumps were regurgitating that water and putting it back into the streets, back into the sewers, and back into the lakes again," Chapman said.

She added "every time there is a project built and we take away more grass and more dirt, there is nowhere for that water to go."

Don Brockel, chairman of the Deal Lake Commission, which sits along the northern edge of Asbury Park separating it from Loch Arbour, Interlaken and Ocean Township, said "every street was a river. This was the biggest storm."

"I've seen major downpours with more water coming down, but I've never seen it this long a duration. It was like four hours of a constant dump, it was insane. We had water from curb to curb, two to three inches deep going right down to the lake," Brockel said. "I've never seen anything like that. It was different than (Hurricane) Sandy, different than (Hurricane) Irene."

He added there are "4,400 acres (in the Deal Lake watershed) of everything coming downhill. That includes all this old construction, all the malls"

"There is no stormwater management,' Brockel argued. "All the water that hits the ground (in the older malls) runs down. It doesn't sit in a retention pond or detention pond and comply with the current rules. It is all on the radar to get fixed, but it's tens of millions of dollars."

He added "we had well over an inch of rain per hour over a four-hour period. That is a lot of water."

"Are we going to have a flood again? Absolutely," Brockel said.

'Where do we go from here?'

Chapman said the day after the flood was "really bad," but believes "there a lot of possibilities" going forward after speaking with state Sen. Vin Gopal, D-Monmouth, U.S. Rep. Frank Pallone, D-N.J., and the Army Corps of Engineers.

Chapman said they know "these issues aren't going to go away. So where do we go from here?"

Pallone and a representative from the Army Corps of Engineers met with Chapman and about 50 residents and business owners in the parking lot of the carousel building.

"Sunset Lake empties into Deal Lake, so if Deal Lake floods, Sunset Lake floods," Chapman said. "(The Army Corps of Engineers representative) felt that the outflow mechanism at Deal Lake was sufficient and there was human error involved with Deal Lake flooding, but for Wesley Lake he saw some real problems."

A follow-up meeting in mid-October focused on the outflow pipes and the amount of stormwater that comes into Wesley Lake "with such a force."

"Because it is coming from so many different directions … maybe the outflow pipe isn't sufficient for getting that (amount of) water out efficiently," Chapman said. "We looked at short-term goals, long-term goals and what do to in the meantime."

One short-term solution would be a flapper device on the pipe that would prevent ocean water from flooding back into the lake.

"The Army Corps have given us other organizations for us to reach out to in order look for long-term solutions. Whether it is an outflow pipe, whether it is a pumping station, we don't know. But we need to have a study done," Chapman said.

Berms and sandbags were also discussed for short-term remedies, but the realities of city life complicate the situation.

"One thing that happened on Lake Avenue, when the police but up the barricades, people were taking down the barricades. Trucks were driving through and sending waves into the businesses," Chapman said.

She added "we met with police and the Office of Emergency Management (on) how we secure Lake Avenue." and that "we are working our way to a short-term solution, and then, into a long-term solution."

Insurance battles

Pouring in: See the flooding that closed Asbury Festhalle and Biergarten just before Oktoberfest

Nick Falco, general manager of the Asbury Festhalle & Biergarten, said his business is still "at a stalemate" and "at the mercy of insurance" companies and the landlord. Lake Avenue flooding closed it indefinitely right before Oktoberfest, a devastating blow to the German-inspired bar and restaurant.

"It is like back and forth every day," Falco said. "We are going to do a fundraiser for my staff in December. Holidays are coming up."

Insurance doesn't cover necessary equipment since it was damaged in a natural disaster — a flood. Flood insurance is required, but won't cover certain parts of the business because "it is in a flood zone" and technically below sea level, since it is in a basement in Asbury Park.

Falco suggested raising the lake walls.

"If the floods are happening so often … how much longer can buildings — something like the Biergarten — handle being destroyed like that with that amount of water? Falco asked.

Charles Daye is the metro reporter for Asbury Park and Neptune, with a focus on diversity, equity and inclusion. @CharlesDayeAPP Contact him: CDaye@gannettnj.com

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Asbury Park, Ocean Grove flooding: How can it be stopped?