Stay Out Of Heritage Minerals Site, Manchester Police Warn

MANCHESTER, NJ — Manchester Township police are reiterating a warning that was issued last summer: Stay out of the Heritage Minerals site.

The site, where there have been at least four drownings, is private property, Manchester Capt. Todd Malland said in a news release, and there will be extra patrols throughout Labor Day weekend.

"It is closed for recreational and/or other use and it is a criminal offense to enter or remain on the property," he said. "In the interest of public safety, the Manchester Township Police urge everyone to obey the 'No Trespassing' signs posted at the site. Trespassers are subject to hefty fines and penalties up to and including incarceration for being on the property."

Last summer, the police department increased patrols for trespassers at the site in the wake of the death of a Manchester teenager who drowned in late June 2015 while swimming at the site with friends.

Authorities speculated the girl, Denasia Davis, 17, may have encountered a drastic temperature change that caused her to go into shock and rendered her unable to swim to safety.

Originally operated by the American Smelting and Refining Company (ASARCO), the property was sold to and subsequently operated by Heritage Minerals until the cessation of mining operations in the early 1980s, the news release noted. The property consists of 7,000 acres that connect the eastern section of the township off Route 37 to the western section off Route 70.

"During its years of operation, the land was mined so deeply that numerous bodies of water often referred to as ‘lakes’ formed," Malland said. "These ‘lakes,’ which are actually groundwater aquifers, litter the landscape on the site."

And while they are inviting and seem harmless, they offer many dangers, Malland said.

Because the lakes were formed as a result of the mining operation, they do not have stable bottoms or shore lines, the way naturally occurring lakes do, he said.

"The banks are very unpredictable and dangerously unstable. Those entering the water will quickly realize that after taking a few steps in the soft, unstable sand that the shoreline ‘shelf’ quickly drops off to depths that exceed 60 feet," he said. The largest lake is estimated at as much as 300 feet deep.

Malland said the lack of rain this summer has increased the danger, exposing more of the shoreline shelf, "putting those near the water perilously close to the steep drop-off."

Because the shoreline is inherently unstable, there is a high risk that it will collapse without warning, he said.

"Under no circumstance should anyone walk or drive on this exposed shelf or approach or enter these waters," Malland said.

Because the lakes are fed by a deep underground source, mineral-laden spring water from the underground aquifer, and as such buoyancy is reduced. Additionally, the water is also much colder, which can result in a swimmer, even an accomplished one, tiring much faster, he said.

"Enhanced patrols of the area will be in effect this Labor Day Weekend and a strict “no warning” enforcement policy remains in place," Malland said. "Additionally, further criminal charges may result from operating recreational vehicles or lighting bonfires on the property."

Heritage Minerals site photo provided by Manchester Township Police Department