On Wednesday, February 3rd at 7:30 pm in Franklin Township (Warren County) there will be a land use board meeting to discuss the proposed 1.4 million square foot truck transfer depot in that township. This project, if approved, will have devastating effects on the lower Musconetcong River. It would be within a few hundred yards of the main river and sandwiched between two C-1 trout production tributaries and built right atop the limestone aquifer. In addition to truck runoff, there will be inadequate roads to handle the new traffic, there will be COAH requirements not yet understood by that township’s leadership, there will be need to hire a police force (Franklin currently relies on State Police), new schools, new homes as a direct result of COAH requirements, potential for significant pollution both into the river and into the ground water as this would sit on the limestone karsk region, and would be a general blight on the rural landscape.

This proposed truck depot and transfer station will provide precious few jobs while imperiling the river with a total impervious surface under roof and asphalt to exceed 1.77 million square feet. This site is a short distance from where route 78 crosses over the Musky above Bloomsbury. We are asking TU members to attend the Feb. 3rd mtg. at the Franklin Township Elementary School which is located at 52 Asbury Broadway Rd (county rd. 643) which is a short distance off rt. 57 west of the rt. 57 and rt. 31 interchange in Washington (Warren County). Please were clothing that identifies you as a concerned angler that spends time and money fishing in the watershed!

Imagine a local farmer driving his John Deer tractor down the local road while hundreds of loaded tractor trailers each day are speeding past him on once quiet country roads….

Franklin township’s slogan is “a clean, agricultural community”. Let’s fight to keep it that way and to protect the Musconetcong river valley from becoming the last river to be fully developed!



Brian

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Take care of the fish and the fishing will take care of itself. - TU's Founding Fathers