Midsummer Issue

slime contains toxins that, in certain doses, can
cause rashes and other health effects for humans.
Last year, 65 lakes in New Jersey were affected by
HABs. In New York, the total was 1,189 individual
HAB incidents, the New York Department of
Environmental Conservation reported.
So, what’s happened to reduce the HAB
incidents so far this year?
The simple answer, said Lake Hopatcong
Commission Administrator Colleen Lyons, is this:
“There’s less phosphorus in the lake.”
But nothing is that simple.
Phosphorus is the fuel for the weeds that plague
the lake annually and cyanobacteria, which form
the HABs.
Last year about this time, the lake had achieved
the highest level of phosphorus in 30 years, said
Princeton Hydro Director of Aquatic Resources
Fred Lubnow. The lake must meet a standard of
.03 milligrams of phosphorus per liter of water to
become compliant with environmental rules.
The phosphorus levels during the 2019 growing
season ranged from a high of 0.043 mg/L during
June to a low of 0.017 mg/L during August.
So far through June 2020, of the 11 sites
that are regularly tested, all but one registered
phosphorus levels below the target level of .03
mg/L. Woodport Cove registered at .04 mg/L.
So, less phosphorus.
It didn’t happen by magic.
The water in Lake Hopatcong is a mad scientist’s
brew of chemicals, live and dead plants, aquatic
wildlife and human impact.
For the past 100 years, as the lake’s regional
population grew from a few thousand to more
than 65,000, the annual jousting match between
jurisdiction and the quality of the lake’s water has
occurred.
This particular competition began in 2018, the
year of the last 60-inch drawdown.
That year, instead of fearing the lake would not
refill before the boating season, managers, because
of persistent heavy rainfalls, were regularly
increasing the lake’s outflow to draw the lake back
to the 6.83-foot level required before ice set in.
The pattern of heavy rain continued into the
spring, refilling the lake.
Data from the Office of the State Climatologist
at Rutgers University showed rainfall in Sussex
County in May 2019 measured 8.4 inches. The
30-year average for that month is 3.07 inches. In
Morris County, May 2019 saw 9.16 inches of rain,
compared to the 30-year average of 4.47 inches.
The increased rainfall came with higher
temperatures.
Sussex County in May 2019 averaged 59
degrees, well above the 30-year average of 51.7
degrees. Morris County that month registered an
average 59.9 degrees, above the 30-year average of
58.7 degrees.
The variable weather also was seen in snow
events.
In the winter of 2019-2020, there were
four recorded snow events statewide, between
December 1 and February 20, according to the
climatologist’s data.
Comparatively, in the winter of 2018-2019,
between November 15 and March 3, there were
13 snow events statewide, 11 of which resulted in
measurable snow in the lake region, the weather
data said.
That is important for this reason: More snow
events mean more grit and salt being applied to
the region’s roads.
Ron Tappan, Hopatcong Borough
administrator, noted the difference between the
past two winters in a measurable way: His road
treatment budget is in excellent shape after the
past mild winter.
“We stopped using grit years ago, but last winter
we dealt with only four or five weather events that
required road treatment,” Tappan said.
Less road treatment means the possibility of less
pollution flowing into the lake, he said.
Runoff from roads and lawns and leaching from
septic systems have been identified as the major
source of phosphorus in Lake Hopatcong for
decades.
This element fits into the scenario in this way:
Eleven snow events in 2018-19 resulted in more
road treatment, which potentially washed into the
lake.
Princeton Hydro, in its water quality analysis
for 2019, noted that the lake’s coves were the first
areas affected by a building HAB.
The response to the number of road treatments
was also a factor. Both Morris and Sussex Counties
increased the number of times they swept the
region’s roads in the summer of 2019, potentially
removing more grit, road dirt and salt, reducing
one factor in the pollution of the lake.
In 2020, weather again is a factor, said Lake
Hopatcong Commission Chairman Ronald
Smith.
“It’s been drier and cooler,” he said. “So, we’ll
see.”
The state climatologist data showed that
between June 2019 and May 2020, a rain deficit
was recorded in six separate months, including
Continued on page 12
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