September start for lake flume work ASBURY PARK, August 21, 2005 -- Work is expected to start next month on the Deal Lake flume, which connects the lake and the ocean near the city's northern beachfront border.

The flume, which extends from the lake into the ocean at the 8th Avenue jetty, has been a major thoroughfare for the annual migration of anadromous alewife and blueback herring each spring.

The herring are indigenous to the New Jersey coast and are a food source for striped bass, bluefish, weakfish, tuna and other species. These bait fish live most of their lives in the ocean, but when they mature, they return to freshwater to spawn. But since the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers replenished area beaches several years ago, sand has collected at the entrance to the flume, blocking most of the water flow.

"This project furthers Acting Governor Codey's promises made in his 'Coast 2005' Initiative to safeguard our shared coastal resources," said state environmental commissioner Bradley M. Campbell. "By repairing the flume and extending it to the waterline, we can improve water flow between the lake and the ocean and protect the herring that depend on this resource."

Campbell said a contractor has been selected to perform the work. Jay Cashman Inc., of Quincy, Mass. is expected to begin work next month and finish by March of next year.