For those of us who grew up swimming in lakes and streams near or in the Jersey Pine Barrens, cedar water is no big deal. It's clean and refreshing like any other lake or stream, but to the newcomer it can be a little scary to think that the tea colored water you're about to bathe in, is actually clean. I saw it for the first time as a teenager going to my cousins house in Evesham Twp. or Marlton. She took up to a place called Creek Run which was a day camp that had a nice lake. When you're a kid and it's hot and somebody takes you to a lake, you just jump in.

Over the weekend I took some adults and kids to a lake near my house that is a cedar water lake. It took some convincing for the mom to let her little ones jump in. The lake water is tested every week for bacteria levels and the water is clear. It's just tea colored. The color comes from a combination of iron deposits in the soil and the roots of cedar trees which are quite prevalent in the area. It can be a little intimidating if you've never been in it before and it will stain your tidy whities if you're in there all day, but it's harmless.

There is a little bit more of a woodsy aroma to the lakes, but not offensive. When the heat index is near 100 degrees and the beach is an hour away and you don't have a pool....Jump in. Most of the family is not crazy about the 'mucky' bottom of the lake, so I bought a few 'floating hammocks' to enjoy on the lake. Of course they're mostly white and no matter how much I hosed them off, just like my tidy whities when I was 14, the lake left it's mark. No biggie! Atsion Lake in Shamong is one of the best family friendly lakes in South Jersey for you to check out.

The post above reflects the thoughts and observations of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Dennis Malloy. Any opinions expressed are Dennis' own.

More from New Jersey 101.5:

A new park on the Metedeconk River has officially opened to the public in Brick Township, bringing a close to a years-long permitting process and a new start to a park that had suffered from shoreline erosion and had deteriorated from its previous glory.

Cedar Bridge Manor Park, considered a “neighborhood park” in Brick parlance, was being enjoyed by a variety of neighboring residents Monday, from an elderly woman walking her dog to a father supervising his kids on the brand new playground. There was also a walking path around the park, a fish cleaning station (with a water pump), exercise equipment for adults and picnic tables under preserved shade trees. The park is located on Manor Drive, in the Cedar Bridge Manor neighborhood, off Hooper Avenue, across the water from the American Legion hall.

The park reopened to the public last week at a ribbon-cutting ceremony hosted by Mayor Lisa Crate. Cedar Bridge Manor is the eighth project in the Township’s Park Improvement Program that began in 2014, and was fully funded in previous years’ budgets, but faced an extremely lengthy permitting approval process because of the shoreline restoration portion of the project.

To maintain the stability of the park amidst rising sea levels, protect its equipment and ensure visitor safety, township engineering officials designed the park with a small living shoreline and breakwater made from rip-rap to protect the area from erosion. At one point, the state even ordered the township to investigate whether the land was a tribal burial site; no such evidence was found. The final permits were issued in February.

In April, the township council awarded a $465,412 contract to Robbie Lane Enterprises, of Towaco, N.J., to undertake the rebuild. Construction began in June.

As Cedar Bridge Manor is considered a small “neighborhood” park rather than a “destination” park, input specifically from neighboring residents on surrounding streets advised officials on which features and amenities the park would include. Some of those amenities included the construction of a walking trail, handicap-accessible beach access, future kayak storage and the fish cleaning area.

Ground has officially been broken at Cedar Bridge Manor Park in Brick Township, ushering in a few months of construction that will rebuild the neighborhood park on the Metedeconk River with new amenities and protect it from erosion and damage during high tides and storms.

Mayor Lisa Crate, along with other township officials and the engineers and contractors behind the project, grabbed their ceremonial shovels to kick things off Thursday afternoon, though some of the work had already started to clear away old brush and prepare the shoreline for a new bulkhead and rip-rap breakwater.

Last month, the township council awarded a $465,412 contract to Robbie Lane Enterprises, of Towaco, N.J., to undertake the rebuild. The contract award came years – nearly a decade – since the idea to rebuild the park was first conceived.

Park construction had been funded and designed, but obtaining state permits delayed progress, mostly having to do with a small living shoreline and breakwater made from rip-rap to protect the park from erosion. At one point, the state even ordered the township to investigate whether the land was a tribal burial site; no such evidence was found. The final permits were issued in February.

As Cedar Bridge Manor is considered a small “neighborhood” park rather than a “destination” park, input from residents on surrounding streets were consulted as to which features and amenities they were looking for. Some of those amenities include the construction of a walking trail, handicap-accessible beach access, future kayak storage and a fish cleaning area.

A playground that will be built at the park was moved a bit farther away from the water in the final design, township Business Administrator Joanne Bergin said, based on an idea from parents who were concerned their children could wander into the creek if the equipment was directly next to it. More security lighting was added, and the playground replaced bocce courts or a horseshoe pit, which were not in-demand items. A bike rack, however, was added at the request of residents.

Bergin said at Thursday’s ceremonial ground-breaking that construction is expected to take 90 days – depending on weather – for the completion of the work.

A new waterfront park that will be nestled in a Brick Township neighborhood will be constructed after a lengthy wait to receive state permits, officials said Tuesday night, awarding a contract for its construction.

The new Cedar Bridge Manor Park will be located in the neighborhood that bears the same name, located off Hooper Avenue on the Metedeconk River along Manor Drive.

Park construction has been planned for some eight years, but the process of obtaining state permits delayed progress, mostly having to do with a small living shoreline and breakwater made from rip-rap to protect the park from erosion. At one point, the state even ordered the township to investigate whether the land was a tribal burial site; no such evidence was found. The final permits were issued in February.

The township usually prefers not to begin construction projects during the summer, but given the long wait, work on the new facility is expected to begin rapidly.

“We have the permits and we awarded the contract tonight,” Business Administrator Joanne Bergin said after a council meeting. “Once the paperwork comes in, we’ll have a pre-construction meeting, but we want to start this ASAP. We want to get this done, and the residents do too – they really aren’t using the park right now.”

Last year, the finishing touches were placed on the park’s layout, as well as its amenities, following discussions with residents of the surrounding neighborhood.

A playground that will be built at the park will be moved a bit farther away from the water, said Bergin, based on an idea from parents who were concerned their children could wander into the creek if the equipment was sited directly next to it. More security lighting was added, and the playground replaced bocce courts and a horseshoe pit, which were not in-demand items. A bike rack, however, has been added at the request of residents.

In addition to the playground equipment, the park will feature a kayak launch, exercise equipment, a walking path and the aforementioned bike rack.

The project will also include shoreline restoration – specifically rip-rap stabilization edge with vegetation, similar to what was installed across town at Bay Harbor Park under a pilot program.

The park’s construction will cost $465,412, with the contract having been unanimously awarded to Robbie Lane Enterprises, of Towaco, N.J., which submitted the lowest qualifying bid.

Let’s face it: New Jersey has a reputation of being a nanny state. A law was recently proposed that would ban walking-while-texting, there are pedestrian safety laws that have caused more problems than they solved and, of course, we can’t pump our own gas.

We won’t make a judgment as to whether some of these laws are well-intended public safety protections or government run amuck, but there’s no denying that the nanny state mentality is alive and well at Jersey Shore beaches. To spark a discussion, and have a little fun, we collected some of our favorites to share.

1. You Can’t Have a Picnic

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In the Long Beach Island town of Harvey Cedars, picnicking is off limits on the sand – at least the ocean sand. A sign at the entrance to each public beach in town warns sun seekers that having a picnic is only allowed at Sunset Park, the town’s bay beach. The sign wasn’t clear on whether there’s an all-out ban on food or drink (it also specifies no glass bottles, but doesn’t comment on plastic containers) or what, specifically, constitutes an illegal “picnic.”

2. You Can’t Play Ball

Want to play catch? Toss a tennis ball around with some sticky mits? A little football back by the dunes? It’s a no-no in Surf City, where “ball playing” is one of a slew of prohibitions that greet visitors with a giant “NO” sign at each beach entrance.

3. You Can’t Dig a Hole in the Sand

Hole-digging is a beach institution. Granted, going overboard comes with certain dangers, but it’s the subject of bans in numerous Shore towns.

4. You Can’t Go Barefoot on the Walkway to the Beach

In Long Beach Township, better make sure your flip-flops are securely on your feet. Going barefoot on walkways up to the beach is banned by ordinance and can, technically, net you a $1,000 fine.

5. You Can’t Drink a Beer (On the Sand)

New Jersey loves its vices. Gambling is legal just off the sand in Atlantic City, and Gov. Chris Christie vetoed a bill that would have banned smoking on the beach last year. Booze, however, is a no-no on essentially every public beach in the state. There are, however, numerous bars just feet away on most boardwalks, if you’re in the mood for an adult beverage.

6. There Are So Many Rules, You Can’t Read Them All at the Beach Entrance

Back in Long Beach Township, good citizens can obtain a full booklet of all the beach rules from beach badge checkers, lifeguards, or at town hall.

7. Your Beach Day Can’t Exceed Two Hours

Famous for its odd beach regulations (public beaches aren’t guarded, but there are guards who keep watch over public beaches run by a private association) Mantoloking is also well-known for onerous parking regulations. On nearly every beach block in town, vehicles can only park for two hours at a time. Don’t just move your car and head back to your beach chair – the time limit applies to any space in town.

7. You Can’t Bring Your Dog With You

Uniformly, up and down the Jersey Shore, man’s best friend has to stay home during the beach season. It seems normal to those from the Garden State, but “no dogs allowed” beach regulations are relatively uncommon in many other states.

8. On Some Beaches, You Can’t Smoke

There are smoking regulations in many Jersey Shore beach towns, including Seaside Heights and Seaside Park. But in others, the law varies from a full allowance to smoking and non-smoking sections divided by either blocks or the number of feet from beach entrances.

9. You Can’t Go to the Beach, Period

In some New Jersey towns, the bulk of the oceanfront is owned by private homeowners. In these towns (Mantoloking, Ocean Beach, Loveladies) the sand is off-limits to the masses.

10. You Can’t Sleep on the Beach (During Certain Hours)

If you want to take a nap on the sand, better make sure it isn’t between midnight and 7 a.m. in Surf City. Camping overnight is definitely out, but one wonders what would happen when someone takes an unexpected snooze during a late-night fishing expedition.

11. You Can’t Bring a Cooler Without Going Through an Alcohol Checkpoint First

In Brick Township, the local governing body this year passed an ordinance that requires a checkpoint at beach entrances to make sure no one is smuggling hooch onto the beach.