New Jersey Officials Launch Efforts To Stop Burlington Island Project

Last-ditch efforts to stop a project to cut down 40 acres of plants and dump Delaware River dredge materials on Burlington Island are underway.

Burlington City, New Jersey and State Sen. Diane Allen, a Republican from Burlington County, have both put up an effort to stop the Army Corps of Engineers plan. The city has issued a cease and desist letter to try to stop the project and Allen has introduced a bill that would give New Jersey towns the right to say ‘no’ to similar projects.

The Army Corps of Engineers will soon begin work to clear a portion of the 400-acre island, which sits across from Bristol Borough, to dump spoils from a project to dredge the Delaware River, which has an international shipping lane that goes to the port in Falls Township and out to the Atlantic Ocean. Philly.com reported the work could begin Monday, October 24.

Tim Boyle, spokesman for the Army Corps of Engineers, said to the Courier-Post last month that the project includes clearing the trees and vegetation from the 40-acre dumping site. The plants that are cleared will be placed on the northern end of the island.

Burlington City officials said they are upset they were not informed on the plans by either the state or the Army Corps of Engineers. Critics have also voiced concerns over bald eagles that live on the island.

“The Army Corps is saying it is returning to dump dredge materials on Burlington Island because they did it in 1989, but that just doesn’t work for me,” Burlington City Mayor Barry Conaway said last week. “Just because it happened once, doesn’t mean it is going to happen again – not on my watch.”

The mayor questioned what the rush on the project is and wondered why the town wasn’t given a heads up.

“We need answers to these questions,” Conaway said. “We also need to find out why there has been no call for an environmental impact study and why there has been no consideration to the potential of unearthing any historical artifacts that could be discovered during this process.”

Development has been proposed on the island for years but no plans have moved forward. In the past decades, a Lenape village, walking trails and an archaeological museum have all been suggested.

Currently, the mainly wooded island features the scant remains of the early 1900s-era amusement park and various smaller buildings. The large lake that takes up a portion of the island was formed when a company dredging sand from the island struck a fresh water spring.

“This is one of the jewels of the Delaware River, and we want to preserve it,” Allen said. “We’re working with a number of groups, including the Board of Island Managers, to ensure that city residents continue to have the final call on what happens at Burlington Island.”