Legislators concerned about brown plume in Barnegat Bay

LAVALETTE(AP) — New Jersey lawmakers are concerned over potential health risks posed by a giant brown silt plume that was released into Barnegat Bay last week.

But a state official says the plume doesn't pose any problems for the public.

The plume was spotted Wednesday by a drone from Seaside Park's public works department. It spanned more than six blocks just south of the Mathis-Tunney Bridge in Seaside Heights.

State Transportation Department Commissioner Jamie Fox said Tuesday that the plume was a combination of silt built up in a pump station and silt from the bay floor. “I need to be crystal clear on this, the water coming from the pump on 8th Avenue was most certainly not sewage,” Fox said in a statement. “The Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and Ocean County both tested the water and found it safe. The public’s health and safety is always our first concern.”

But Senate and Assembly environment committees wonder whether a flood abatement project is to blame.

The pumping station is one of nine along Route 35 from Bay Head to Seaside Park. The pumps are part of a $200 million infrastructure upgrade stemming from the damage from Superstorm Sandy in 2012.

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