LOWER TOWNSHIP - After a decade of study, salt water has been chosen as the best way to restore the degraded Cox Hall Creek to the vibrant waterway it once was.
The 1,940-acre watershed along the Delaware Bay once was tidal, but was closed off by salt-hay farmers in the 19th century. Since then the creek, which, according to local lore, hosted the first European settlement in the county, has become severely polluted.
The area has become infested with a freshwater nuisance reed called phragmites that provides habitat for mosquitoes and is a fire hazard. Stands of phragmites have caught fire several times and threatened homes along the edge of the creek.
While there were other options considered to control the phragmites, such as chemical spraying or excavating them to create a large lake, a decision has been made to use saltwater.
http://www.pressofatlanticcity.com/...cle_437e6a3e-eb18-11e0-8b36-001cc4c03286.html
The 1,940-acre watershed along the Delaware Bay once was tidal, but was closed off by salt-hay farmers in the 19th century. Since then the creek, which, according to local lore, hosted the first European settlement in the county, has become severely polluted.
The area has become infested with a freshwater nuisance reed called phragmites that provides habitat for mosquitoes and is a fire hazard. Stands of phragmites have caught fire several times and threatened homes along the edge of the creek.
While there were other options considered to control the phragmites, such as chemical spraying or excavating them to create a large lake, a decision has been made to use saltwater.
http://www.pressofatlanticcity.com/...cle_437e6a3e-eb18-11e0-8b36-001cc4c03286.html