The fishermen man the rails of the old pond at Lake Topanemus. This is our pond. Freehold’ s central park is managed by a group of devoted commissioners. These community volunteers are neighbors and friends. However, they have a meager budget. Freehold Township and Freehold Borough control the flow of tax dollars.
The lake needs help. Like many lakes in New Jersey, Lake Topanemus has fallen victim to man made eutrophic condition. If not corrected, siltation and weed growth will eventually kill the lake.
The true measure of society is how we value the wildlife in the lake, as we save it. The restoration approach must be sustainable and consistent. Herbicides mask problems by extermination; they are listed as chemicals called pesticides.
Chemicals to treat chemicals is not the way. “Pesticides are one group of toxic compounds linked to human use that have a profound effect on aquatic life and water quality,” according to “Pesticides and Aquatic Animals: A Guide to Reducing Impacts on Aquatic Systems” (Virginia Cooperative Extension). “Spraying herbicides can also reduce reproductive success of fish and aquatic animals.”
Solutions lie upstream. Construction of a sediment basin upstream to control fertilizer-rich sediment is key. Influent mechanical filtering and weed harvesting is long-term management, not quick inexpensive herbicide gimmicks. Solutions must balance with nature, not dominate.
“Two roads diverged in a wood, and I,
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.” Robert Frost
Joseph J. Ferdinando
Freehold Township
