PINELANDS WATER UNUSUAL
Date: 040921
From: http://www.courierpostonline.com/news/southjersey/
IT'S BROWN, IT'S SAFE AND HAS PLAYED COLORFUL PART IN HISTORY
By Jeanne Ridgway, Courier-Post Staff, September 10, 2004
Terry Schmidt answers lots of questions from people who come to swim
and canoe in New Jersey's "cedar" lakes and streams, remarkable
features of the state's Pinelands, a 1- million-acre natural reserve
of forest and wetlands spanning 22 percent of this crowded state's
land mass.
Parents who warn their children against eating discolored snow often
turn skeptical at first sight of the Pineland's mysteriously-colored
waters.
"Everyone wants to know why our lake is brown," said Schmidt, a
customer service representative at Atsion Lake. "They want to know if
it's bad for you. Can you drink it? Does anything really live in
there?"
Although cedar water is brown, it does not mean that it has been
contaminated, at least not at its source, according to scientists.
The Pineland's rivers, streams and lakes appear like a deep, dark cup
of tea for two reasons, according to Joel Mott, education coordinator
for the Pinelands Commission.
First, the water has been been stained by natural dyes from
decomposing plant material, especially the region's fragrant carpet of
fallen pine needles.
Secondly, acid from decaying plants seeps through the water and reacts
with the ferric oxide from the underlying clay. The ferric oxide is
carried to the surface of the water where it oxidizes and hardens into
a film of iron.
"The rust-colored water is a byproduct of that process," said Mott.
Howard P. Boyd, who has written three books about the Pinelands, is
struck by the clarity of cedar water when viewed in small quantities.
"If you put it in a clear glass, it would appear pure and colorless,"
said Boyd. "It doesn't show that coloration until it gets to be at a
depth of 1 or 2 feet," he said.
Boyd, 89, who holds a master's degree in entomology, has appreciated
the Pinelands for more than 70 years when he began visiting the region
to gather insects for his studies. Now a resident of Tabernacle, he
likes everything about the unique region, including the appearance of
its cedar water.
"It's very pretty, actually, if you look at it with the rays of the
sun shining through it."
New Jersey's history and culture also connect to cedar water.
Beginning in about 1760, colonists extracted chunks of low-grade iron
ore that have formed in Pineland bogs, transporting the product by
boat.
"They would bring it back to the crushing house where 500 pound
hammers, usually two, would pound it down to sizable proportions and
then it would be dumped into the furnace to melt it down," said Edith
Waters Farrace, a historical interpreter at Batsto Village, a site
featuring the region's industrial past.
Early settlers used the iron to fashion kettles, ladles and other
household implements. In the mid-1800s, Pineland iron became big
business, when the product was used to make water pipes for New York
and Philadelphia, replacing old wooden utility lines.
The New Jersey Pinelands also contributed to America's struggle for
independence from English rule. The region's odd-colored water yields
iron ore, which colonists used to make 6- and 9-pound cannonballs for
the Continental Army, according to Waters Farrace.
Today, people appreciate the recreational benefits of New Jersey's
cedar rivers and lakes. At Atsion, Schmidt assures swimmers that brown
water is perfectly natural for the Pinelands and safe. She issues one
warning, however.
"We tell them not to go in wearing white bathing suits," she said.
"Once your suit is stained, that's pretty much it."
* * *
Reach Jeanne Ridgway at (856) 486-2479 or
jridgway@courierpostonline.com
Copyright 2004 Courier-Post.
Date: 040921
From: http://www.courierpostonline.com/news/southjersey/
IT'S BROWN, IT'S SAFE AND HAS PLAYED COLORFUL PART IN HISTORY
By Jeanne Ridgway, Courier-Post Staff, September 10, 2004
Terry Schmidt answers lots of questions from people who come to swim
and canoe in New Jersey's "cedar" lakes and streams, remarkable
features of the state's Pinelands, a 1- million-acre natural reserve
of forest and wetlands spanning 22 percent of this crowded state's
land mass.
Parents who warn their children against eating discolored snow often
turn skeptical at first sight of the Pineland's mysteriously-colored
waters.
"Everyone wants to know why our lake is brown," said Schmidt, a
customer service representative at Atsion Lake. "They want to know if
it's bad for you. Can you drink it? Does anything really live in
there?"
Although cedar water is brown, it does not mean that it has been
contaminated, at least not at its source, according to scientists.
The Pineland's rivers, streams and lakes appear like a deep, dark cup
of tea for two reasons, according to Joel Mott, education coordinator
for the Pinelands Commission.
First, the water has been been stained by natural dyes from
decomposing plant material, especially the region's fragrant carpet of
fallen pine needles.
Secondly, acid from decaying plants seeps through the water and reacts
with the ferric oxide from the underlying clay. The ferric oxide is
carried to the surface of the water where it oxidizes and hardens into
a film of iron.
"The rust-colored water is a byproduct of that process," said Mott.
Howard P. Boyd, who has written three books about the Pinelands, is
struck by the clarity of cedar water when viewed in small quantities.
"If you put it in a clear glass, it would appear pure and colorless,"
said Boyd. "It doesn't show that coloration until it gets to be at a
depth of 1 or 2 feet," he said.
Boyd, 89, who holds a master's degree in entomology, has appreciated
the Pinelands for more than 70 years when he began visiting the region
to gather insects for his studies. Now a resident of Tabernacle, he
likes everything about the unique region, including the appearance of
its cedar water.
"It's very pretty, actually, if you look at it with the rays of the
sun shining through it."
New Jersey's history and culture also connect to cedar water.
Beginning in about 1760, colonists extracted chunks of low-grade iron
ore that have formed in Pineland bogs, transporting the product by
boat.
"They would bring it back to the crushing house where 500 pound
hammers, usually two, would pound it down to sizable proportions and
then it would be dumped into the furnace to melt it down," said Edith
Waters Farrace, a historical interpreter at Batsto Village, a site
featuring the region's industrial past.
Early settlers used the iron to fashion kettles, ladles and other
household implements. In the mid-1800s, Pineland iron became big
business, when the product was used to make water pipes for New York
and Philadelphia, replacing old wooden utility lines.
The New Jersey Pinelands also contributed to America's struggle for
independence from English rule. The region's odd-colored water yields
iron ore, which colonists used to make 6- and 9-pound cannonballs for
the Continental Army, according to Waters Farrace.
Today, people appreciate the recreational benefits of New Jersey's
cedar rivers and lakes. At Atsion, Schmidt assures swimmers that brown
water is perfectly natural for the Pinelands and safe. She issues one
warning, however.
"We tell them not to go in wearing white bathing suits," she said.
"Once your suit is stained, that's pretty much it."
* * *
Reach Jeanne Ridgway at (856) 486-2479 or
jridgway@courierpostonline.com
Copyright 2004 Courier-Post.