Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Camden County and Camden County Soil Conservation District won the Environmental Achievement Award for its collaborative Hopkins Pond water quality improvement project. The Association of New Jersey Environmental Commissions (ANJEC) bestowed the prestigious award during its 40th Annual Environmental Congress, October 19, at Middlesex County College, in Edison.

Nominated by the Haddonfield Environmental Commission (HEC), the project addressed Hopkins Pond’s bluegreen algae blooms that occur during warm weather due to excessive nutrient runoff from local lawns, recreational fields and other sources. Thanks to the installation of an aeration system and artificial floating wetlands, which was completed in the spring, Hopkins Pond did not experience the typical summer algae bloom, according to HEC Chairwoman Julie Beddingfield.

For more information, visit anjec.org.