Spring 2023 Issue

January but must be funded by Congress.
Jefferson Mayor Eric Wilsusen said the sewers
would be an important step in reducing lake
pollution.
“Residents want sewers,” he said. “A septic
system can cost $40,000 to $50,000.”
Wilsusen said the federal funds, if approved,
could come later this year.
An innovative approach to improve water
quality is planned for Roxbury’s Landing Channel.
The goal is to dredge the shallow channel and
use the material to rebuild Floating Island in the
middle of the channel into a larger floating garden
structure designed to remove phosphorus from
the water. This is a similar tactic seen in such
structures installed in Jefferson’s Ashley Cove.
The plan has been approved by the Roxbury
Township Council. Funding is being sought from
the New Jersey Highlands Council.
At the northern end of the lake, the impact
of an agreement between the State Department
of Environmental Protection and Weldon Quarry
in Hopatcong could lead to water quality-related
projects.
In 2018, the DEP filed three notices of violation
related to a broken transfer pipe at the quarry.
At the time, Woodport Cove residents reported
increased silt in a local stream that fed into the
lake. The quarry was cited for two violations
of the Water Pollution Control Act and one
violation of the Freshwater Wetlands Protection
Act.
A settlement on the violations was reached,
Lake Hopatcong Foundation and Princeton Hydro staff ready new floating wetland islands for
Ashley Cove in June of 2022.
but is not public, lake commission officials said.
The agreement is thought to include a fine for
the quarry and site remediation plans.
So, big problem, but big effort.
In the back of the 2022 water quality report,
three line charts suggest the progress being
achieved in three areas between 1991 and 2022:
reduction of total daily phosphorus; reduction
of chlorophyll a, an important element in the
food chain of algae; and an improvement in
the clarity of the water, which is recorded as
the depth that a black-and-white disc called a
Secchi disk, dropped into the water, can be seen
from the surface.
Each chart shows the agreed-upon threshold
used to measure progress of various lake
treatments.
The threshold for phosphorus is .03 mg/L; for
chlorophyll a, 20 mg/L; and for Secchi depth,
clarity at 3.2 feet below the surface.
The charts indicate the long-term values of
all three measurements over 30 years exceed
the thresholds, meaning there is less measurable
phosphorus, less chlorophyll a, and the water is
clearer.
Long term, average phosphorus was measured
at .02 mg/L; chlorophyll a at 10.2 mg/L; and water
clarity depth at roughly 6.5 feet.
Lubnow, in his video presentation, cautioned
about reading too much into the chart data
because conditions in the lake year-to-year are
influenced by many factors, including weather.
Given the complexity of the lake issues, if it
looks like progress, maybe it is.
LAKE HOPATCONG
BLOCK PARTY
May 20, 2023, 10 am - 4 pm
Hopatcong State Park ~ Rain or Shine
Hosted by the Lake Hopatcong Foundation
FREE entrance | $10 cash donation on-site parking | FREE off-site parking w/ shuttle
KICK OFF THE SUMMER SEASON WITH THIS FAMILY-FRIENDLY DAY ON THE LAKE!
Crafters ~ Businesses ~ Community Groups ~ Food Court ~ Entertainment
Children’s Area ~ Boat Rides ~ Train Rides ~ 50/50 Raffle
Pet Friendly ~ and More!
lakehopatcongfoundation.org/blockparty
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