Local board and state weed out lake issues

STANHOPE - Trees recently planted on the section of Hopatcong State Park in Netcong by the North Jersey Resource Conservation & Development Service are thriving, but so are the water lilies floating on Lake Musconetcong, not a good sign of lake health. While the boroughs of Netcong and Stanhope seek revitalization of their Main streets and business districts, the central point of the two towns remains in need of care. The lake needs more than a shore facelift, however, and the Lake Musconetcong Regional Planning Board is working on multiple projects to that end. “The DEP still says no to dredging,” said Planning Board Chairman Doug Zellman, explaining that the state agency refuses to dredge the lake for fear it would then be forced to fund disposal of any pollutants found at the lake’s bottom. However, Zellman and the board believe the likelihood of finding such hazardous materials is small, given there are no industrial sites on the lake’s shores or in the nearby vicinity. The board has applied to the state for a grant to fund a “best management practices” report for the future maintenance of the lake. Zellman said this report probably will call for the installation of filters in the storm drains around the lake, as a means to keep oil and grit from reaching the lake. Each of the municipalities with lake frontage must endorse the grant application and help fund any corrective measures deemed necessary by the report’s findings. Municipalities that have lakefront property include Byram, Netcong, Roxbury and Stanhope. While they wait for the state grant, the board has implemented the running of a weed harvester six days a week to remove the weeds from the deepest portions of the lake, but the board also is reaching out to local residents for additional help. “We need volunteers with small boats to pull weeds from the shoreline and drag them toward the middle, so the big harvester can pull them out,” Zellman said. Zellman explained the lake’s problems stem from the nature of its existence. The man-made lake was created when the Musconetcong River was dammed between Stanhope and Netcong in order to supply the Morris Canal in the 1820s. Originally, the lake was 10 feet deep at its deepest point. Today the lake includes the old towpath from the canal and its deepest point on the Netcong side of the old towpath is 5 ½ feet and a mere 4 ½ feet on the Stanhope side. Lake board officials said removing the collected debris and settled runoff soil would return the lake to its original depth. Part of the efforts to safeguard the lake’s health is educating the public. A sign at Netcong Park asks visitors to refrain from feeding the waterfowl as a way to keep organic waste out of the lake. In addition to the sign, the board is taking a cue from the Lake Hopatcong Commission, which publishes brochures educating residents about living in a lake community. “Some people don’t know the products that are safe to use,” Zellman noted, stating that common household items such as detergents and other cleaning products contain phosphates and nitrates, which promote weed growth. Zellman also would like to see the municipalities adopt ordinances regulating the type of chemicals that can be used on lawns. He said the board expects to make several educational brochures available to the public in the fall.