ASBURY PARK – A project at the Asbury Park boat ramp, near the Main Street Bridge over Deal Lake into Loch Arbour and Allenhurst, is underway to prevent soil erosion into the lake.
Project Engineer Peter Avakian said the banks are being reinforced with a special matting made from coconut husks, which will then be planted with vegetation designed to stabilize the banks.
The Deal Lake Commission is giving about $7,500 in unused grant money toward the project, with the permission of the state Department of Environmental Protection, which issued to grant money to begin with.
“We are using the natural sloping shoreline so we don’t have to build a bulkhead,” Avakian said. “The coconut mat is a natural fiber that we can plant through. There will be all native plant species that will help prevent erosion and also look like beautiful plantings.”
Large stones are already onsite to create a pathway. Asbury Park officials have been working on improving the park for the past few years.
“It will stabilize the banks for a long time and in a natural way,” said Councilwoman Sue Henderson, who has been spearheading the boat ramp area’s restoration.
“We are doing what we can to control sediment entering the lake,” she said.
Stephen Souza, the environmental consultant to the Deal Lake Commission, said that a variety of water-edge plants and some wetland grasses will be planted.
“They are all native vegetation and all designed to work at the water’s edge to stabilize banks. Plus they will provide a little bit of color to help beautify things as well,” he said.
A few trees and shrubs will also be planted, including red maples and shade bushes.
