Work on a new dam that levels water between Lake Riviera and the smaller Rainbow Lake has been completed, Mayor John Ducey said this week.
The completion of the dam’s rebuild also means the water level of the lake has returned to normal after having been artificially lowered for almost the entire summer and start of fall. Some residents voiced concern over the low water level, but state officials mandated that it be lowered since the lake flows to a tidal waterway.
Lake Riviera at its normal water level, Nov. 20, 2019. (Photo: Daniel Nee)
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On Wednesday, the dam was actively regulating the water level in Lake Riviera, pushing water into Rainbow Lake. The waters have returned to their normal levels and large swaths of sand and mud that were visible all summer are now covered.
The scope of work – a $177,820 project – included replacing an eroded section of a culvert with a 6-by-4 foot box culvert, replacing surface treatment filling in scoured areas, and implementing rip-rap sheeting for outlet protection at the Lake Riviera Park Area. The concrete culvert was fabricated out of state and shipped to Brick earlier this fall.
The dam at Lake Riviera, Nov. 20, 2019. (Photo: Daniel Nee)
The dam that failed was built with some state funding assistance since the state ordered the replacement of earthened dams following a decade-long study after Hurricane Floyd flooded North Jersey in 1999. This time, however, the state did not provide Brick with any funding, Ducey said.
