Pilings for pipe into bay.

A total of 44 acres was mowed.

Old pumphouse in creek.

Bird's eye view of Cox Hall Creek/ Photo by Cape May County.

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VILLAS — Work has begun to bring saltwater into Cox Hall Creek through a pipe into Delaware Bay and with two floodgates.
Pilings have been sunk on the beach for a 400-foot pipe which will extend into Delaware Bay.

The project was 11 years in the making and was tied up for a period while the state Division of Fish and Wildlife waited for a Tide Land Management permit.

Brian O’Connor, a GIS specialist with the county Planning Department, said a lot of organizations have been involved with the project including both the U.S. and state Fish and Wildlife services, Lower Township Municipal Utilities Authority (MUA), Lower Township, Ducks Unlimited, and county Mosquito Department.

A total 44 acres of the property were mowed which is visible from the “S” turn on Clubhouse Drive.

“We are just in the process of getting all the materials,” he said.
Lower Township MUA and the county Mosquito Department will be handling the installation, he said. A county crew surveyed the property.

“It’s quite a bringing together of a lot of different organizations which is amazing that it happened in itself,” said O’Connor.

The outfall pipe from the bay will be located south of the pump house, which will be demolished down to its foundation and capped with a steel plate to allow access to the end of the pipe, he said.
O’Connor said the doubled-gated tide gate will be inside the pipe accessed from a large manhole. The gate will be able to stop tidal water from entering the creek or stop fresh water from leaving the meadow.

“The idea is to kill the phragmites with saltwater,” he said.

The project needs to be completed by April 15 or will be required to pause and resume in September due to the spring bird migration of Red Knots, which keeps construction from bay beaches.
O’Connor said he believed the deadline would be met.

Cox Hall Creek will not change right away. O’Connor said changes will be visible year to year.
He said he expected saltwater invertebrates would enter the creek. O’Connor credited the success of the project to the Cox Hall Creek Focus Group.

The state Department of Fish and Wildlife will manage the watershed of Cox Hall Creek working with U.S. Fish and Wildlife and county Mosquito Control. O’Connor said he expected the creek would supply foraging fish for striped bass and blue fish.

A total of 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.