Neptune's Alberta Lake getting $1.25M to put an end to persistent flooding

NEPTUNE - U.S. Rep. Frank Pallone, D-N.J., announced Monday that he has secured $1.25 million in federal funds for the Alberta Lake Environmental Cleanup and Restoration Project in Neptune.

Pallone made the announcement at the lake with Mayor Tassie York, Committeeman Derel Stroud, Business Administrator Gina LaPlaca, and Bart Cook, executive director for the Township of Neptune Housing Authority.

Located to the east of Neptune Boulevard and to the west of Taylor Avenue, about a dozen private homes sit on the north side of Lake Alberta along Lakeview Avenue and on the south side along Sixth Avenue, as well as 55 senior apartments maintained by the Housing Authority.

The $1.25 million will include dredging, environmental cleanup and replanting of native species to restore the health and functionality of Alberta because the man-made lake plays a vital role in managing stormwater from the surrounding areas, Pallone said.

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"The Community Funding project is not a grant because it is actually put in as a line item in our federal budget, our federal appropriations bill," Pallone said. "It is not only going to improve the water quality but the outflow, so you won't have as much flooding hopefully, but also beautify the area and make it more of a natural environment."

Alberta Lake channels outflow to the Shark River and Sylvan Lake but has been identified by the Shark River Cleanup Coalition as a significant source of pollution. Sediment accumulation and shoreline erosion, particularly along the southern shoreline, poses persistent threats to the lake's ecosystem and stormwater retention capabilities.

"The flooding exacerbates those issues, sometimes there is also road closures, debris and sometimes even evacuations," Pallone said. "So what we are doing is not only protecting the environment, trying to prevent the flooding, but basically make it more resilient in the event of future storms or weather events."

He added that "this is exactly what these Community Funding projects are supposed to be at a federal level."

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Earlier this year Committeeman Keith Cafferty told the Asbury Park Press that Neptune officials were aware of the residents' "severe concerns" and went out to the lake with engineers and other officials from the Department of Public Works and Office of Emergency Management. Cafferty said the township needed to find money for more improvements.

York praised Pallone for "always trying to do his best for Neptune."

"This that funding we are getting is proof why our representatives in Washington, D.C., matters greatly to Neptune," York said. "Our residents that have been impacted in the past by the flooding. Those whose greatest investment is at stake more and more because of an increased prevalence to major storms deserve this relief."

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"The senior residents who reside around the lake will now be able to without worry or concern," Cook said. "Now our residents, our seniors will be able to live without the concern that their properties will be flooded."

"I actually was involved in cleanup of Alberta Lake … so many years ago, I can't even remember," Pallone said. "I had a friend of the previous congressman who use to live in the senior housing. I know that there is a lot of senior public housing in the area and it is beautiful."

He clarified "this hasn't been finalized yet" but "we've never had a situation where these projects don't ultimately get approved and signed into law as part of the larger appropriations package."

"It should be finalized by the fall and then we can move ahead with the project," Pallone said.

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: Pallone announces funds to fix Alberta Lake in Neptune NJ