Residents raise alarms about reservoir dredging, say turtles and fish are dying; administration says relocation and monitoring underway

Residents at the April 6 council meeting raised concerns about dredging work at the Clark Reservoir and reported dead aquatic animals and degraded site conditions.

Delia Collins, a Clark resident, told the council that social media reports and local observations show "turtles dying, fish dying" and she urged the township to be more active in monitoring and responding to the situation. Collins provided a DEP hotline number (702‑0337) and asked why the Environmental Commission at times has been involved in cleanup work on county property.

Business Administrator Jim Ulrich and Mayor Angel Albanese replied that the reservoir project is being carried out and monitored by Union County and the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection. Ulrich said project teams relocated 4,126 fish to Bryant Pond, Jackson's Pond, Bloodgoods Pond and the Rahway River and that multiple species were captured and transferred. He said the project covers roughly 100 acres (he later revised to about 110 acres in remarks) and the contractor has 660 days to complete the work.

Both Ulrich and the mayor acknowledged the distress residents feel about the loss of wildlife and said that, although relocation efforts are ongoing, it is not possible to capture every animal. They noted weather challenges during the recent winter and said the county and DEP are monitoring environmental controls and progress.

Council members and the BA encouraged residents who see issues to report them to county or DEP lines and said the township will relay resident concerns to the county when appropriate.