Brick Reservoir Reopening For Walkers, Runners At Last

BRICK, NJ — It's been one of the most popular questions since the coronavirus pandemic shutdowns began last March: When will the path around the Brick Utilities reservoir reopen for recreation?

The answer, at last, is March 17.

After months of staying closed due to concerns about the ability to enforce social distancing and thoroughly sanitize the facility while protecting employees at the reservoir, officials with the Brick Township Municipal Utilities Authority said the reservoir will open for limited public use on March 17.

The reservoir will be open Wednesdays through Sundays from 6:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. and will be closed on Mondays and Tuesdays. Only the north entrance and parking lot on Sally Ike Road at the Wall border will be open, MUA officials said.

Chris Theodos, the MUA executive director, has noted in the past that while the 1.6-mile walking path is a popular recreation spot with runners and walkers, "we are not a traditional park."

"We are primarily a secure water reservoir and a source for safe drinking water," he said in September in an email to Patch.

The MUA shut down the 1.6-mile path around the top of the reservoir, which stores drinking water for residents of Brick Township and also supplies some in Lakewood and Howell, in March 2020, when recreation facilities and parks were shut down to enforce social distancing as the pandemic surged through the area.

When other parks reopened, residents started repeatedly asking township officials when the path would reopen. But with occupancy levels still limited last fall, the MUA resisted.

In recent weeks, as more people have been able to get vaccinated and the spread of new cases of the coronavirus has slowed, Gov. Phil Murphy has expanded other activities, increasing indoor dining capacity to 35 percent and allowing attendance at sporting events and entertainment venues.

With the weather warming, the questions about when — or whether — the path would be reopened resumed.

MUA officials said there will continue to be limitations and restrictions in place, and safety provisions related to the COVID-19 pandemic will be posted at the reservoir.

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