Cox Hall Creek. Photo by Cape May County Planning Department.

VILLAS — After 10 years, a project to bring saltwater into Cox Hall Creek through a pipe into Delaware Bay and two flood gates, is awaiting a Tide Land Management permit and could get underway as early as this fall.

That permit will allow the state Fish and Wildlife Service to manage the area.

Brian O’Connor, a GIS specialist with the county Planning Department, updated Lower Township Council Monday on the status of the project that would connect the creek to the bay through a 400-foot, 48 inch diameter pipe controlled by a double-gated tide structure to control water levels.
O’Connor said it would allow the water level in Cox Hall Creek to be controlled and bring in saltwater to kill Phragmite reeds in the creek.
Opening both gates would let water flow from the creek into the bay.

He said the project began in 2001 with a citizen’s advisory group plus government and technical advisory groups. The citizen’s group was able to get a $100,000 grant from the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) which produced a feasibility study that included extensive elevation and environmental surveys.

O’Connor said the saltwater would be controlled and not create a dead landscape like a similar project at Green Creek. A detailed hydrology report and environmental report were produced with an $116,000 grant from DEP, said O’Connor.

The federally endangered plant, Swamp Pink, was discovered along Cox Hall Creek. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service was able to get a federal consistency determination for the creek which will allow the project to go forward without a CAFRA (Coastal Area Facilities Review Act) permit or Waterfront Development permit, he said, which will save $30,000.

O’Connor said the cost of the 400-foot pipe into the bay was $400,000.

Ducks Unlimited obtained a $65,000 North American Wetlands Conservation Act grant which requires a $60,000 match for in-kind services.The county Mosquito Control Department has agreed to help with installation. In addition, Lower Township Municipal Utilities Authority agreed to do pile driving and Lower Township Department of Public Works has agreed to install outfall pipe.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in New Jersey gave the project $10,000, the Corporate Restoration Corporation Partnership provided $25,000 for purchase of materials and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Delaware committed $14,000 to the project, said O’Connor.
The county Survey Team will also assist, said O’Connor.

A neighboring property owner has agreed to an easement for a portion of pipe that has been on his land for years.
A resident asked O’Connor what would happen if a tidal surge occurred from a hurricane combining a high tide with 10 inches of rain. O’Connor said the system would have two gates and the gate facing the creek would be opened and the gate facing the bay would be closed which would stop saltwater from entering the creek.

O’Connor noted 16 storm water outlets drain into the creek. As the saltwater does its job, a number of small channels will be opened in the Cox Hall Creek basin to bring more water under Clubhouse Drive to the pipe.