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Dam Dilemma: Who Mows the Lake?

dam | 11 weeks 6 days ago | Comments 10

By Joe Hart

Photos by Joe Hart. Inside: Residents of the Holly Lake Condominium camp-ground blame this dam under Route 47 for the water loss in Ludlam Pond. Front:The backend of Ludlam Pond where it is fed by natural springs and streams is usually filled with water covering the trees root systems unlike it is here. Holly Lake residents call this area “the swamp.”

DENNISVILLE — Residents of a campground here are angry that their ability to refer to their homes as “lakefront” condominiums is slowly washing away.

Tom Hannigan, of the Holly Lake Condo Association Board of Trustees, told the Herald a faulty dam is causing Ludlam Pond to drain.

Ludlam Pond is a 54-acre body of water that abuts the campground used primarily as recreation for Holly Lake residents and other adjacent homeowners. Hannigan estimated the water level was five feet below normal and has been low for nearly two years.

Holly Lake Manager Charles Scarpa said that while the pond was normally shallow, it did reach up to nine feet at its deepest points.

When the Herald visited the site on Sept. 4, Scarpa looked across the wide expanse of water with grasses and stumps exposed above the surface and said, “I could walk across this pond right now.”

The high-water line was obviously down several feet at the pond’s small beach and visible on exposed trees.

“This water used to be filled with boaters and swimmers, but nobody uses it anymore,” Hannigan said. But Hannigan said the low water level affects more than just recreation.

Safety, wildlife and property sales are also being hurt.

According to Scarpa, one concern from the low water is fire safety.

“We have pipes coming from the pond that the fire department would use to fight a fire in the campground,” Scarpa said. “One of the intake pipes in the pond is only two inches from the water surface. I’m no engineer, but that doesn’t sound like enough room to prime the water pumps.”

Another safety concern is bugs.

“With the water level so low, the back end of the pond is more like a swamp now and the mosquitoes are terrible,” he said. “People have been stuck in their houses.”

Not only a nuisance, mosquitoes can also transmit diseases such as eastern equine encephalitis and West Nile virus among others, according to the county Department of Mosquito Control.

Scarpa said the low water not only brought out the mosquitoes, it also chased away a lot of frogs, fish and waterfowl since the area’s ecology has changed.

“The effect on wildlife has been very noticeable,” Hannigan agreed.

According to Coldwell Banker Realtor Patricia Smith, the pond’s water level is also negatively affecting home sales at the campground.

“One client who was looking here recently asked me if anyone mows the lake,” she said speaking of the grass that breaks the surface in the low water.

Smith said that 32 of the site’s 342 units were currently on the market.

Hannigan said he is looking to township and state officials to help the Holly Lake community with this ongoing problem.

“As a community, we pay nearly $400,000 in property taxes and we don’t get anything in return,” Hannigan said. “The township doesn’t collect our trash or maintain our streets.”

They just need some help in dealing with the state to get the Ludlam Pond dam fixed.

When the Herald contacted Dennis Township, Municipal Clerk Jacqueline Justice said the pond and its dam fell under state jurisdiction.

Hannigan has been in contact with the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and Department of Transportation (DOT).

State dams generally fall under the purview of the DEP’s Bureau of Dam Safety and Flood Control. The bureau’s primary goal is to ensure the safety and integrity of state dams in order to protect people and property from the consequences of dam failures.

The bureau reviews plans and specifications for the construction of new dams and the repair of existing dams. The bureau must grant approval before any dam work is done.

The DOT is also involved with the Ludlam Pond dam because it is located directly below a bridge built in 1928 that carries a state highway, Route 47.

In a DEP letter to a DOT engineer regarding the pond’s water loss, Dam Safety Manager John Moyle said “the dam appears to be in sound condition and we suggest that the water loss requires further investigation by the NJDOT.”

DOT spokesperson Erin Phalon told the Herald her agency inspected the dam in April and found that no repairs were necessary.

When the Herald toured the Ludlam Pond dam and a neighboring dam on Johnsons Pond, also located on Route 47, water appeared to be spilling from the sides of the Ludlam dam at a far greater rate than at the Johnsons dam.

There also appeared to be water bubbling up from a spot a few feet in front of the Ludlam dam, which Scarpa said was “the dam being undermined.”

The residents of Holly Lake want the state study the Ludlam Pond dam further and fix the problem so they can enjoy their waterfront properties again.

Contact Hart at (609) 886-8600 Ext 35 or at: jhart@cmcherald.com

Print | Email Updated 11 weeks 6 days ago
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Comments (10)

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Tue, 10/07/2008 - 7:53pm

i stumbled upon this article acidently via a link from google and it caught my eye and i finished reading it. Im from Toronto Canada and even i think that the "dam" is obserd and should be taken down. If its was built to stop flooding in the area then i understand because thats what they are built for, however seeing that it has done nothing to improve the area and flooding is not an issue then tear it down and re-establish the life of this community.

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Tue, 09/16/2008 - 8:31pm

I have owned a home in Holly Lake for 6 years and it is a wonderful community. We looked at many of the places in Cape May County and Holly Lake was by far the best we saw. Many of our friends who visit, comment on how pretty and WELL TAKEN CARE OF the resort is (that is a big reason for the rising vaule of the homes , trailers, whatever). We go to the beach, pay for beach tags, and spend time on the boardwalks. We buy food and other items in the local stores and restaurants, and support "your" town in many ways including donations to the Fire Company and Emergency Squads. This isn't just about property value, it's about righting a wrong. It's also about recreation and quality of life. Dennisville doesn't just belong to the "local"s. Between March and November, it's my town too. After all, like it or not, we are all neighbors. Maybe, people living in glass houses shouldn't be throwing stones. Seems like we all have an axe to grind!

towns. We donate to your Fire Companies, Emergency Response teams every year. Call it what you want but WE spend time and money in your state so YOUR taxes are not going up and up... So I think you should watch who you are bashing.

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Fri, 09/12/2008 - 11:08pm

Well I believe communities such as trailer parks, you cannot use as a full time residence(if I remember correctly)
Holly Lake, is a seasonal community. You should not be paying school tax. You technically cannot send children to school there if it is only a seasonal resort(you shouldn't be there from sept-may)

I love how they say its a "Condo association" They're TRAILER'S! The Holly Lake resort is a TRAILER PARK!

And gee, I'm looking online and 310 Holly Drive is a 2000 trailer, and lot for 152,500. Not to cheap for a trailer. I'm sorry, but saying its hurting property value? I dont believe it.

I'd like the road fixed in front of my home(its bumpy). Its making my property value go down. Does that mean the state has ANY responsibility to fix it? No...

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Fri, 09/12/2008 - 9:21am

Because we pay taxes end get "0", nada, zilch, we can't even send our kids to school can YOU? The dam was there before the campgroud, now it's broken so fix it .You ***. And last time I checked you dont do anything to raise your property value either.

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Thu, 09/11/2008 - 3:33pm

Its not the state's responsibility to ensure the lake depth is up to spec so your property values go up! Its not the states responsibility to ensure lake depth is satisfactory for you're recreational needs.

If YOU want it for YOUR use/benefit, then don't waste MY tax dollars for it.

My tax dollars WILL NOT be used to benefit raising someone elses' property value. The state does NOTHING to improve my property value, why on earth should they do anything to raise yours?

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Wed, 09/10/2008 - 12:28pm

I can certainly understand Jersey natives frustration with trailer parks. There are hundreds from Brigantine to Wildwood most of which are singly owned and operated AND LICENSED BY THE STATE OF NEW JERSEY. However, we at Holly Lake have one of, if not the nicest mobile home communities in southern New Jersey. Our properties are singely owned and go for between 135,000.00 to 172,000.00. I assure you there is no trailer trash here. We are completely self maintained and ask for and get nothing for our tax dollars. Considering the amount of homes that are falling down and the lawns of junk that accompany the homes which is the scenic view along Rt 47 I would say you don't have much room to criticize. I would think you would all appreciated the fact that we not only pay taxes for no services but help OFFSET THE COST OF YOURS. Without us seasonal owners your state would be in worse shape than it allready is. It's time that you start to care a little about the people who spend thier money in your town and in your state and again PAY TAXES. I AM ASSESSED AT 100,600.00 A YEAR FOR A 50'X40' LOT. HOW DOES THAT EQUATE TO YOUR PROPERTY TAXES PER SQUARE FT. Our lake not only boarders our community but residents of your state that apparently literally no one gives a damn about.

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Wed, 09/10/2008 - 9:42am

To all you people that posted before me let me educate you. Holly lake is not a trailer park, it is a campground (to which your local economy would be nothing without).and our taxes help pay for your lazy local residents on welfare that sit on their porch and drink cheap beer all day hoping to catch a crab so they can eat. And yes the dam does need repair but since your state keeps passing the buck(like it's permanent residents ) it looks like I am going to have to fix it myself. HLCA 9 month campground resident. Charles keep up the good work,

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Wed, 09/10/2008 - 6:53am

There has been a lack of rainfall this summer. Many rivers are just trickles of water in many spots. I know this for a fact because I kayak them most of the year and lately have spent more time pulling over the sand than paddling due to lack of rain. Once it rains more the ponds will fill with water and the trailer park owners will have more water in thier pond. The frogs will return and once we get a cold snap, the bugs will subside. It is called life on the water. If the dam were not there, you would have a swamp of mud to look at out your windows. Have you seen the swamp on Rt 40 in Elmer where the state has been working on a dam-bridge for over 2 years? Becareful for what you wish for.

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Tue, 09/09/2008 - 8:59pm

Hoo, boy! You have people looking to buy and they ask dumb questions (enough to make one weep)...Who mows the lake? A whole lotta brains in those there trailers, boys! Let those mosquitos carry them back!

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Tue, 09/09/2008 - 2:51pm

Since when is a trailer park a "condo" - nothing but trailer park *** in all these places, this is the start to shut them all down!!!!!

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