By Henry M. Holden      

In 2019, an unprecedented and Harmful Algal Bloom (HAB) infected a vast portion, of Budd Lake. The Bloom curtailed recreational use of the lake for most of the season.

There are several factors which contribute to algal bloom: extreme heat, a large mass of water, dead organic materials combined nutrients that run off from lawns, and from adjacent Route 46. 

The bloom creates toxins in the water which are harmful to humans and the aquatic life. They caused various effects on ecosystems like blocking sunlight, and depletion of oxygen levels in water. 

This past summer, Budd Lake dealt with a smaller-scale outbreak of HAB. The township officials will use “artificial floating islands” to help curb future outbreaks.

Township Business Administrator, Andrew Tatarenko, said the use of the artificial floating islands (aka floating wetlands) will contain plastics (for floatation) and aquatic plants whose roots eat up the harmful nutrients that contribute to agal blooms.  Currently a combination of Sonar Fluridone (an organic compound that is used as aquatic herbicide to control invasive plants) and a DEP recommended Green Clean Peroxide are used to partially mitigate the HAB.

The proposal was initially raised by Joe Nicastro, Township Council President, who said the idea surfaced back in the spring, when he announced a township’s environmental initiative to recycle plastic bags. At that time, he learned about Eco Islands LLC. They build artificial islands, which can be maintained by environmental and school groups.

“When I spoke with Eco Island’s Sandy Williams, I knew this was a project that we needed to do in Mount Olive. Not only would the islands, a mix of plants, mud, and peat moss, benefit the lake but could also be used in Maier’s Pond and even retention basins.”

The lake has been battling a harmful algal bloom since June. The waters were safe for swimming, but in early August, the area in front of the Pax Amicus Castle was placed under the state Department of Environmental Protection’s “Orange” category, when testing revealed a cyanobacteria cell count was more than double the 80,000-millimeter minimum. When areas are designated as “Orange,” public beaches are closed, lake-goers are advised to avoid close contact with the water, and any fish caught should not be consumed. 

Cyanobacteria are naturally present in lakes and streams in low numbers. Under certain environmental conditions including sunlight, high nutrients, warm temperatures, dense cyanobacterial blooms can form. 

In early August, samples from two other lake areas, the marina and boat ramp, showed high levels of toxins. 

In August, the state approved $3.5 million for projects to reduce the impacts of nonpoint source pollution on waterways, including $1 million for the development of lake and watershed restoration plans to mitigate harmful algal blooms.

“Basically, we are creating habitat eco-systems to help pollinators and pollination,” said Sandy Williams of Eco Islands. “Budd Lake has some severe algae bloom, and the plants will help to decrease the bloom and help mitigate stormwater runoff.”

Eco Islands will tap into water resources to create man-made, artificial islands with pollinating plants that will clean the water and help mitigate the algae bloom. The islands will be 25 feet in circumference, and a diameter of about 12 feet. 

“I deal with the patient,” said Williams.  “The lake is sick, so I get the Islands in there and then I partner with Rutgers Cooperative Extension Water Management Resources.”

According to Williams, the islands cost around $12,500 each. “We plan to install three islands, the first will be going in this fall at Cove Street. It is a beta test because the lake is only 5-feet deep so it will freeze early. Typically, deeper lakes freeze later so the water temperature is more stable. This is a test to see how the plants do and how the structure works under winter conditions.”

“We are also putting in solar lighting at night to raise awareness of the HAB pollution and prevention. We are testing several lights to see how they do in water.”

“The islands are designed so that kids can build them. It’s a very simple design using low-cost building materials. The school is close to the lake so that it would be possible for the kids to see how they’re growing, and learn from that, and have a connection to them”

The islands will be anchored but they will have a little slack to compensate for the water level rising and falling and the current. 

“Unfortunately, with the environment still warm and the plants still green, they are confused,” said Williams. “They really should be going into dormancy, but it is about 10 degrees warmer than normal.”

In the spring the two other islands will be installed, one near the marina and the other near the beach. Both areas were severely infected with HAB this past summer 

Nicastro said the islands “will be another great asset to the township and another way we are committed to keeping our environment and waters clean in the process.”

“Keeping an ecological balance is important to me,” said Nicastro. “I love our open fields, farms and parks and would never like to see that taken away.”