Hurricane Sandy

Belmar's Silver Lake Forming Large Algae Bloom

Lake water level still very low since Hurricane Sandy

Pumped out after Hurricane Sandy, water is slowing filling Silver Lake in Belmar, but an algae bloom has formed there. Borough Councilman Brian Magovern said the lake is shallow, which mean a boat that usually delivers a chemical to prevent algae blooms was unable to do so. As a result, the algae began forming this spring, and particularly on the west side of Silver Lake is thick with green algae. Magovern said that about 10 or 15 years ago, the borough began using the chemical to prevent algae, but historically Silver Lake was one prone to algae blooms. Until the shallow water levels change, a plan to counter the algae growth is not in place. The lake is expected to slowly fill naturally, Magovern said, with no plans to dredge or …

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Steps to Beautify Silver Lake in Belmar

Volunteers take to planting on island

Silver Lake in Belmar, with its center island used by ducks and other waterfowl, has been a muddy mess since Hurricane Sandy. But volunteers took steps this weekend to beautify the lakefront, cleaning up and offering some light landscaping with planted flowers. Check out these pictures from the activities at Silver Lake, in this gallery by local photographer Paul Spennrath.

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Police Warn Not To Walk on Frozen Lakes

Spring Lake police says multiple calls made for juveniles atop ice in January

Just because it's frozen over doesn't mean it's safe. That's the warning local police hope juveniles and adults alike will heed now that bodies of water such as Spring Lake have frozen over. Spring Lake Borough Detective Sergeant Timothy Giblin said police have responded to multiple calls in January from concerned residents who spotted children on top the frozen water. "During the month this department responded to several calls of juveniles on the ice at the lakes," Giblin said. "We are asking parents to speak with their children to warn them of the dangers of being on the ice when it has not been deemed safe." Those dangers include falling through the ice and drowning or suffering frostbite, and a fatality at Budd Lake in New Jersey Jan…

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Belmar A Scene of Debris Removal, Pumped Lake, Detours

Photo gallery of borough as clean-up continues from Hurricane Sandy

Belmar continued to push forward on clean-up and rebuild more than a month after Hurricane Sandy. Construction equipment lined the pumped-out Silver Lake, where inches of black mud lined the lakefront nearly up to the sidewalk. On the beachfront, debris removal continued as front loaders and bulldozers pushed around sand and hauled off garbage. A sifter along the beachfront had sand pouring through it, removing large and fine particles that was mixed up in the mess, and was creating a new pile of clean sand to be used. Check out this photo gallery from the last week of Belmar borough.

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S.G.

9:24 am on Tuesday, December 18, 2012

A friend with a year round apartment tried to photograph the beach - not going by any barricades or onto private property - and was told (not very nicely) by a police officer, "no photography of the beach". As I have been doing a photo series there for the last wo years, she let me know about it. As a newspaper feature photographer for the last 12 years, I realize that I am used to more access …   more ›