Hopkins Pond (park)

Hopkins Pond is an American park in Haddonfield, New Jersey.[1]

The park includes Hopkins Pond, Driscoll Pond, and the surrounding land, maintained by the Camden County Parks Commission.[1]

History

In 1789, John Estaugh Hopkins built a dam on a tributary of the Cooper River to power a gristmill, creating Hopkins Pond.[2]

In 1922, James Lane Pennypacker wrote a poem about the pond, titled Hopkins Pond.[3]

In 1925, a ten-year-old boy slipped on a log and died in Hopkins Pond.[4]

In 1927, Hopkins Pond was closed to swimming because of pollution.[5]

In 1969, the dam at Hopkins Pond was reconstructed.[6]

Hopkins Pond has had harmful algal blooms on and off since at least 2013.[2] Storm water runoff, impervious surfaces, fertilizer runoff, and water pollutants have all contributed to the issue.[2] Camdem County installed an aeration system and a transducer to produce ultrasonic sounds to disrupt algae.[2] In July 2020, scientists with the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection tested the pond and found high levels of microcystis, a type of bacteria that creates algal blooms.[2]

In 2015, a group of residents organized a clean up of the park after years of litter and natural decay.[7]

References

  1. ^ a b "Hopkins Pond". Camden County. Archived from the original on 23 December 2010. Retrieved 26 January 2011.
  2. ^ a b c d e Kummer, Frank (August 14, 2020). "How this picturesque Haddonfield pond became a toxic algae problem". The Philadelphia Inquirer.
  3. ^ "Haddonfield knows little of the village it used to be". The Star-Ledger. September 4, 1949.
  4. ^ "Woman Rushes Into Hopkins Pond In Vain Effort to Rescue Boy". Courier-Post. April 15, 1925.
  5. ^ "Bathers Still Barred From Hopkins Pond". Evening Courier. June 11, 1927.
  6. ^ "Dam Reconstructed at Hopkins Pond". Courier-Post. October 1, 1969.
  7. ^ Young, Alex (May 29, 2015). "Pond in Haddonfield's 'crown jewel' park is in need of a major cleanup, group says". NJ.com.

Further reading

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