Lake Riviera Dam Repair Forces Brick To Cancel Fishing Derby

BRICK, NJ — The state-mandated repairs to the dam on upper Lake Riviera have forced the township's Recreation Department to cancel the annual fishing derby for 2019.

The derby had been scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 17, but on Friday the township announced the cancellation.

Lake Riviera was lowered in June following the discovery of settlement on the top of the outflow pipe during a routine inspection of the dam by the township's engineering staff. Township staff found the bottom of the pipe had rotted out, which was confirmed by engineers from the state Department of Environmental Protection's Dam Safety Bureau, township administrator Joanne Bergin has said.

The state ordered that the lake be lowered so repairs can be made, because the dam is rated as a Class 2 dam, meaning there is significant risk for damage to property should the dam fail.

The township council approved a resolution to seek bids on the repair project on July 9, but it is not clear how long the repairs will take or how soon they might be completed.

The lowering of the lake alarmed residents, who expressed concerns about the fish that inhabit the lake and other wildlife that are drawn to it. Lake Riviera is known to have largemouth bass and pickerel, among other species.

A lake lowering permit was issued by the Division of Fish and Wildlife, which monitors lowerings.

There are two dams on Lake Riviera that control the flow of water from the lake into the eastern part of Kettle Creek, which runs to Barnegat Bay. The dam that needs repair controls the water level in a spillway behind the apartment complex on Brick Boulevard.

Both that dam and the spillway dam that sits between the complex and the Pizza Hut were replaced and upgraded in 2012 after a statewide inspection of dams to identify ones at risk of failure, following devastating flooding in the mid-2000s. The two dams were earthened before the upgrades, and considered to be at serious risk of failing in a catastrophic storm.

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