NJAWRA 2019 Excellence in Water Resources Management Award
2019 NJSME Municipal Design Project of the Year Award

Lake Carasaljo Park, located in Lakewood, NJ, encompasses approximately 176 acres along a two-mile stretch of the South Branch Metedeconk River. Heavily used by the community, a walking trail surrounds the park, the eastern portion of which, consists of the 74-acre Lake Carasaljo and its shoreline.

This project demonstrated the installation and effectiveness of simple, modular urban stormwater Best Management Practice (BMP) designs to reduce stormwater pollutant loading. Six sites were selected for retrofit with passive BMP bioretention systems/rain gardens designed to capture the “first-flush” of stormwater runoff and allow excess runoff from larger storms to be directed into the original conveyance system. Due to elevation differences, underdrained bioretention systems were constructed at four sites while infiltration systems were constructed at two.

This project advances the field of water resources management with a modified bioretention soil mix and post-construction efficacy testing; demonstrates the effectiveness of stormwater management retrofits utilizing green infrastructure; and educates the general public on the importance of and local nature of stormwater runoff impacts using practical and attractive solutions.