SPILLWAY DESIGN REPORT

RAINBOW LAKE DAM

NJDEP FILE No. 35-1
NJ ROUTE 56 MILEPOST 5.56
PITTSGROVE TOWNSHIP, SALEM COUNTY, NJ

Table of Contents

I. Problem Statement Package....................................................................................1

A. Problem Statement ......................................................................................1
B. Project History and Description..................................................................1
C. Project Need................................................................................................4

II. Project Description..................................................................................................4

III. Hydrologic and Hydraulic Analysis........................................................................5

A. Spillway Design Storm ...............................................................................5
B. Existing Conditions.....................................................................................5
C. Proposed Conditions ...................................................................................7

IV. Alternatives Analysis ..............................................................................................7

A. Alternative 1 – Replace Spillway and Bridge ............................................7
B. Alternative 2 – Replace Spillway and Bridge, Raise Roadway..................7

V. Summary ....................................................................................................................8

List of Figures

Figure 1 – Project Location Map ........................................................................................2

List of Tables

Table 1 – Summary of Peak Flow and Maximum Water Surface Elevation......................6

Appendix
Appendix A - Photographs
Appendix B - Hydrologic Calculations
Appendix C - Hydraulic Calculations
Appendix D - Inundation Map

Z:\WTR\WTR Projects\RT NJ 56 MP 5.6 Rainbow Lake Dam\Reports\sdf report.doc

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 SPILLWAY DESIGN REPORT
RAINBOW LAKE DAM
NJDEP FILE No. 35-1
NJ ROUTE 56 MILEPOST 5.56
PITTSGROVE TOWNSHIP, SALEM COUNTY, NJ

I. PROBLEM STATEMENT PACKAGE

A. Problem Statement

Rainbow Lake Dam, NJ Dam File #35-1, is located within Pittsgrove Township, Salem County,
NJ (Refer to Figure 1 – Project Location Map) and is owned by New Jersey Department of
Transportation (NJDOT). The dam crosses Muddy Run and carries NJ Route 56 over the crest.
The spillway and bridge are located at about milepost 5.56 of NJ Route 56. The lake is privately
owned and is used for recreational purposes. Photographs of the lake, dam and spillway are
provided in Appendix A – Photographs.

Overtopping conditions have frequently occurred at Rainbow Lake Dam. As a result, New
Jersey Department of Environmental Protection – Dam Safety Section (NJDEP-DSS) has
mandated that NJDOT perform a detailed study of the dam. The dam is classified as a Significant
Hazard facility.

B. Project History and Description

1. History

According to records on file with NJDEP – DSS Rainbow Lake Dam, originally known as
Muddy Run Lake, was constructed in 1774 and included a sawmill. The sawmill was converted
to a gristmill during 1870 and the name of the lake was changed to Norma Lake. The settlement
of Norma, located about 2 miles east of the lake, was developing at that time and local residents
began using the lake for recreational activities. During 1885, the lake became known as Maple
Lake.

During 1915, the lake was renamed Rainbow Lake and Salem County constructed a road, bridge
and spillway along the original dam. The Lubin Family purchased Rainbow Lake during 1920
and they constructed a recreation park along the eastern shore of the lake. The park consisted of
a skating rink that extended over the lake, a swimming area and beach, a water slide called The
Skimmer, and a boat rental dock. A hotel, restaurant and several rental cabins were also
constructed at the lake.

The upstream wingwalls to the spillway were rebuilt and riprap was placed along the upstream
embankment during 1921. On February 14, 1924, the dam was overtopped because of a severe
storm event. A dam breach occurred the following day (February 15, 1924). Reportedly, the

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Project Location Map

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breach was about 50 feet in length and was located about 100 feet west of the bridge and
spillway.

On September 1, 1940, a severe storm resulted in widespread flooding now referred to as The
Labor Day Flood. Rainbow Lake Dam was breached at two locations; each located about 100
feet east and west of the bridge and spillway. At some date prior to the flood, David Rosenthal
purchased the lake. Based on the files available at NJDEP-DSS, it was determined that the
spillway and bridge did not have sufficient capacity to convey the required flood discharge.
Numerous letters were exchanged between the State Water Policy Commission, Salem County
(owner of the bridge and roadway) and David Rosenthal (lake owner). H. T. Critchlow, The
State Water Policy Commission Engineer in Charge, developed a tentative design for
rehabilitation of the bridge and spillway during 1941 and 1942. The design indicated that Salem
County would need to replace the existing bridge with a structure providing two spans, each 30
feet in width separated by a pier 3 feet in width. The plans also included a new concrete spillway
with a 39 foot radius and an earth embankment along the roadway that the lake owner would
have to construct. The owner was not receptive to the proposed rehabilitation and indicated that
he would abandon and drain the lake. However, the lake, amusement park and hotels were then
leased to Seabrook Farms. Seabrook planned to use the property for housing of their farm
workers. The use of the property for “housing essential to our war effort” prompted
recommendations for temporary improvements of the spillway. The roadway was reconstructed
and minor repairs were made to the spillway and bridge during 1941. Apparently, no
improvements were made to the spillway.

A.A. Behling purchased the lake and surrounding area in 1946. It appears, based on available
records that no improvements were made to the dam, spillway or bridge. The lake was
purchased by Donald Richards in 1956. During 1968, several property owners adjacent to the
lake complained that the owner had raised the level of the lake causing their property to flood.
The Bureau of Water Control responded to the complaints stating that they did not have
jurisdiction over the dam and spillway as their records indicated that the spillway was only 5 feet
high and the lake impounded only 80 acres.

Salem County superelevated and resurfaced the roadway over the dam in 1982. That project also
included repairs of the bridge and upstream dam embankment.

Ownership of the roadway and bridge was transferred from Salem County to New Jersey
Department of Transportation (NJDOT) on November 10, 1983. NJDOT designated the
roadway as NJ Route 56 and the bridge structure number was designated as 1716-150. The dam
was overtopped by about 4 inches on March 24, 2000 because of rainfall that occurred on March
22, 2000.

2. Description

Rainbow Lake Dam is an earthfill dam about 1000 feet in length and 45 feet in width. The
primary spillway consists of timber gates attached to a single span concrete bridge. The bridge
has a span of about 28.9 feet and a rise of about 5 feet. The timber spillway gates are attached to
the upstream face of the bridge. The spillway consists of 6 sections of stoplogs, each about 4

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feet in length. At this time 5 sections have vertical openings of about 2 feet and the remaining
section has an opening about 6 inches high. The stoplogs are supposedly removable. However,
only three sections appear operable at this time.

There are two auxiliary spillways at Rainbow Lake Dam. The first is located about 220 feet west
of the bridge. The spillway is comprised of a drop inlet with stoplogs on the front side and a
steel trash rack on top. It discharges to a 36 inch CMP that conveys water through the dam to a
15 foot wide channel running parallel to the main stream channel. The auxiliary channel
discharges to the main stream about 3000 feet downstream of the dam. The second auxiliary
spillway is located about 600 feet east of the bridge, where the saw/gristmill was situated.

C. Project Need

In accordance with the Safe Dam Act and the New Jersey Dam Safety Standards (N.J.A.C. –
7:20) periodic inspections are required on certain dams within the state. The spillways of the
dams are required to pass peak flows of certain design storms based on dam classification and
downstream conditions. The minimum Spillway Design Storm (SDS) is the peak discharge
during a 100 year (1 percent probability of occurring each and every year) storm event. Past
inspections of Rainbow Lake Dam have identified the need for various repairs and upgrades of
the existing dam and spillway. The existing spillway and bridge at Rainbow Lake Dam do not
have capacity to convey discharge during the 100-year storm event. Rainbow Lake Dam
requires a full hydrologic and hydraulic analysis to determine the appropriate SDS and develop
alternatives that would bring the dam into conformance with existing regulations. NJDOT has
authorized McCormick Taylor, Inc. (MT) to perform the required analyses.

II. PROJECT DESCRIPTION

The goal of this project is to bring Rainbow Lake Dam into compliance with the New Jersey
Dam Safety Standards. An evaluation of the existing spillway and downstream conditions were
performed to determine the appropriate SDS and impacts to downstream areas. Aerial mapping
and field survey of the dam and downstream structures and stream channel were obtained as part
of this study. Analyses of the dam and spillway were performed for the ½ Probable Maximum
Flow (PMF) with and without a breach condition, for the 100-year storm event with and without
a breach condition, for the 25-year storm event and for a “Sunny Day” breach condition.

MT performed a Regular Inspection of the dam in September 2003. The results of the inspection
follow:

• The dam was found to be in Safe condition.

• Recommended that the gates be repaired immediately to an operable condition, removal
of trees and brush from embankments, repair of eroded areas and patching spalled
concrete
• The following long term improvements should be undertaken:
o Replace Spillway
o An EAP should be prepared

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 o An O&M Manual should be prepared
o The spillway design flood should be developed and the spillway capacity verified

III. HYDROLOGIC AND HYDRAULIC ANALYSES

A. Spillway Design Storm

In order to determine the SDS for Rainbow Lake Dam it was necessary to perform hydrologic
and hydraulic analyses of the contributing watershed. Several sources were used to derive the
data necessary to determine the size, characteristics, and peak discharges of the watershed above
Rainbow Lake Dam. Data sources for the project included; 1:24,000 USGS DEM, NJDEP
approved “Land Use” ARC/Info, “Soil Type” ARC/Info; and field survey. Data was input to the
Watershed Modeling System (WMS) computer program to develop Curve Numbers (CN) and
Time of Concentration (Tc) information. WMS uses DEM information to compute the lag time
for each sub-basin using the SCS Lag Time equation. The total watershed area at the spillway
was calculated as 52.32 square miles. Five lakes exist upstream of Rainbow Lake Dam. Since
each of those affect peak streamflow, routing data was input for each dam based on available
data. The data was then used to develop a HEC-1 analysis of the watershed. A study of Parvin
Lake, located immediately upstream of Rainbow Lake, was performed for NJDEP – Division of
Parks and Forestry in 2002. Data in that report was reviewed and peak discharges at significant
locations were compared to the peak flows calculated in this study. The calculations performed
for this study resulted in higher peak flows than the Parvin Lake study. The NRCS recently
increased the rainfall amounts for each of the counties within New Jersey. The Parvin Lake
study was performed prior to the increase and used 7.4 inches of rainfall during a 100 year event.
This study was performed using 8.5 inches of rainfall for the 100 year storm event. However,
the comparison between the two studies was considered reasonable. Peak discharge from the
watershed was calculated using the SCS Type III 24 hour storm with 17.5 inches of rainfall for
the ½ PMF storm, 8.5 inches of rainfall during a 100-year storm event and 6.5 inches of rainfall
during the 25 year storm event.

B. Existing Conditions

A stage, storage, discharge rating table was developed for the existing bridge, spillway and dam
at Rainbow Lake. Peak flows for each of the studied storm events were calculated and routed
through the dam facilities using HEC-1. Based on the calculations, NJ Route 56 would overtop
by about 1.11 feet during a 25-year storm event. During a 100 year storm event the roadway
would overtop by about 1.56 feet with a peak discharge of about 3613 cfs. During a ½ PMF
storm event, discharge from Rainbow Lake Dam would be about 11,868 cfs overtopping NJ
Route 56 by about 2.79 feet.

Hydrologic calculations for studied storm events, with and without dam breach conditions, are
provided in Appendix B – Hydrologic Calculations, Section 1 – Existing Conditions. The
rating tables developed for Rainbow Lake Dam are provided with the HEC-1 calculations.

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 Hydraulic calculations were performed using the HEC-RAS computer program, version 3.1.2, to
route peak calculated flows along Muddy Creek downstream of NJ Route 56 and also to
determine capacity of the existing bridge at the spillway. A railroad bridge crosses Muddy Run
approximately 2000 feet downstream of NJ Route 56. The calculations indicate that the structure
has capacity to convey peak flow during all studied storm events. Finished floor (FF) elevations
of the homes and businesses downstream of NJ Route 56 were surveyed and used to determine if
they would be affected by conditions at the dam. A summary of the water surface profiles
calculated along Muddy Run, downstream of Rainbow Lake Dam, for studied storm events are
provided in Table 1 below.

The water surface profiles calculated for the ½ PMF storm event, with and without a dam breach,
are less than 1 foot apart in elevation. The water elevation over NJ Route 56 is the same for the
½ PMF storm event with or without the dambreak. The profiles calculated for a 100-year storm
event, with and without a dam breach condition, were within two vertical feet of each other.
There are no structures impacted by the flood discharges both with and without dambreak. The
closest structure is the vacant building east of the dam on the downstream side of Route 56, but
the peak flood elevations are below the surveyed first floor elevation. Hydraulic calculations are
provided in Appendix C – Hydraulic Calculations, Section 1 – Existing Conditions. The 100-
year storm event is the recommended SDS.

Table 1
Summary of Peak Flow and Maximum Water Surface Elevations
For
Muddy Run Downstream of Rainbow Lake Dam

LOCATION STORM PEAK FLOW PEAK WSEL WSEL DIFF.

(HEC-RAS EVENT W/O BREAK FLOW W/O W/BREAK WSEL
Station) W/BREAK BREAK
Sta. 15582.27 Sunny Day n/a 487 n/a 55.74 -
d/s NJ Rte.56 100 Year 3613 6074 57.01 58.45 +1.44
½ PMF 11868 13390 60.99 61.69 +0.70
Sta. 15330.44 Sunny Day n/a 487 n/a 53.97 -
332+/- d/s NJ 100 Year 3613 6074 56.08 57.62 +1.54
Rte. 56 ½ PMF 11868 13390 60.74 61.48 +0.74
Sta. 14932.21 Sunny Day n/a 487 n/a 53.00 -
730’ +/- d/s NJ 100 Year 3613 6074 55.68 57.36 +1.68
Rte. 56 ½ PMF 11868 13390 60.60 61.35 +0.75
Sta. 13644.94 Sunny Day n/a 487 n/a 51.41 -
u/s Railroad 100 Year 3613 6074 54.70 56.31 +1.61
2017’+/- d/s ½ PMF 11868 13390 59.25 59.91 +0.66
NJ Rte. 56
Notes:
1. All peak flows are cfs.
2. WSEL = water surface elevation.
3. All elevations are in feet.

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C. Proposed Conditions

The basis for determination of the SDS and acceptance of the 100-year storm event as the SDS is
subject to review by NJDEP – DSS. In any event, the spillway and bridge must have capacity to
safely convey the calculated flow during a 100-year storm event. Several alternatives were
considered to bring the dam into conformance with required regulations. A summary of the
possible alternatives follows.

IV. ALTERNATIVES ANALYSIS

In the existing condition, the crest of the spillway is only about 3.9 feet below the low point of
NJ Route 56 and the existing bridge has capacity to convey about 1000 cfs or about 28 percent of
the 100-year flood discharge. Any rehabilitation, including construction of an auxiliary spillway,
would require construction of a large structure beneath NJ Route 56. Leaving the dam and
structures as they are and providing overtopping protection is not an option since the spillway
and bridge do not have capacity to convey flow during a 100 year storm event. Additionally, the
existing spillways and bridge are in poor condition.

Hydrologic calculations for the alternatives are provided in Appendix B – Hydrologic

Calculations, Section 2 – Proposed Conditions. Hydraulic calculations for the proposed
alternatives are provided in Appendix C – Hydraulic Calculations, Section 2. Two alternatives
were developed to upgrade the dam facilities and bring them into conformance with required
regulations, assuming the 100-year storm is adopted as the SDS. A table, based on HEC-RAS
output data, comparing the existing and proposed water surface profiles is provided in Appendix
C – Hydraulic Calculations, Section 2.

A. Alternative 1 – Replace Spillway and Bridge Maintain Existing Roadway Profile

This alternative would include replacing the bridge and spillway while maintaining the existing
roadway profile. The proposed bridge would require a span of about 130 feet with 2 piers. The
low chord and invert would be the same as that of the existing structure. The new spillway
would be a concrete ogee weir constructed in a semi-circle and have the same crest elevation as
the existing spillway with a length of approximately 200 feet.

The SDS would be conveyed over the proposed spillway with about one foot of freeboard
between the peak elevation of discharge and the low point of NJ Route 56. Alternative 1 would
provide the necessary capacity to bring the dam into conformance with existing regulations.

B. Alternative 2 – Replace Spillway and Bridge and Raise the Roadway Profile

Alternative 2 would include construction of a new bridge with a span of about 110 feet and new
spillway at about 160 feet in length. Alternative 2 would raise the roadway by about 0.6 feet to a
maximum of about 2 feet. The new profile would allow a greater rise at the proposed bridge and
allow a greater depth of flow over the spillway. However, to limit impacts on adjacent property,

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the proposed low point of the roadway would only be about 0.6 feet above that of the existing
roadway.

The SDS would be conveyed over the proposed spillway with about one foot of freeboard
between the peak elevation of discharge and the low point of NJ Route 56. Alternative 2 would
provide the necessary capacity to bring the dam into conformance with existing regulations.

V. SUMMARY

Based on the results of this analysis the 100-year storm event is the recommended Spillway
Design Storm. At this time, acceptance of a decrease in the SDS from the ½ PMF to the 100-
year storm event is requested from NJDEP-DSS. Upon concurrence with the recommendations,
an Emergency Action Plan and an Operations and Maintenance Manual will be developed for
Rainbow Lake Dam. A preferred alternative will also be identified and plans for rehabilitation of
the dam will commence. The Inundation Map for Rainbow Lake Dam is provided in Appendix
D.