Keep an eye on no-name dam

Word that the owner of the "New Jersey No Name No. 57 Dam" in Upper Freehold has not responded to an order from the state Department of Environmental Protection’s Dam Division to submit a dam inspection report by Dec. 1 does not bode well for the township.

According to the DEP, the owner of the dam — which is categorized as a "significant hazard dam," meaning it could cause considerable property damage in the case of a breach — is owned by Box Board Co. in Newark.

The good news is that the DEP is prepared to take action to force the company to comply or face a stiff fine and requirement to dismantle the dam and drain the dammed body of water.

Allentown, meanwhile, and apparently the county, have received extensions until April to complete inspections of two other local dams.

Dam safety, as evidenced by the recent failures in the northern part of the state which prompted the DEP crackdown, is critical.

Repairs can also be extremely expensive, as officials in Matawan in the northern part of the county know. They are facing a $10 million repair bill for their two dams. Fortunately, the county, which owns the roads across the tops of the dams, will have to share the cost. That means, of course, that county residents will also share the cost.

Upper Freehold better keep an eye on No Name Dam No. 57.