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______________________
Delays at Gruendyke a dam shame
Friday, September 21, 2007
BY FRED J. AUN
For the Star-Ledger
NJ.com: Everything Jersey
A sudden interest in the project by the state Division of Fish and Wildlife is the latest piece of red tape threatening to delay the long-sought removal of an old dam on the Musconetcong River near Hackettstown.
Nevertheless, Bill Leavens, president of the Musconetcong Watershed Association (MWA), believes the Gruendyke Mill Dam will be gone before the end of the month, opening up a section of the river so it can run cooler and allow for less-hampered fish travel.
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Leavens was at the site yesterday with a contractor, going over plans. "We're just about to start clearing the property," he said. "Once we get final clearance from the state historic preservation, dam safety and Fish and Wildlife people, we can go in there."
Fish and Wildlife only recently got involved, Leavens said. He wasn't sure what the Division wants -- explaining the project engineer is handling the situation -- but he's about had it with all the reviews and permitting involved. After all, Leavens noted, it was the state's concern that the old dam was dangerous that initiated the project.
"If I get out of this without a heart attack and a stroke, we'll be fine," he joked.
While fish, particularly trout -- and the anglers that seek them -- are going to benefit from the dam removal, Trout Unlimited (which is helping the MWA) warned anglers the project will add some cloudiness to the river just when the fall trout-stocking season is about to begin.
"There will be silt and dirty water moving downstream during the actual removal process and during the building of the three new weirs needed to re-stabilize the river bed at the dam site and just upstream," wrote Trout Unlimited New Jersey State Council vice chairman Brian Cowden on njtrout.com. "As we get closer to heavy equipment in the stream, I will send out another alert."
Cowden asked anglers to refrain from making "panicked calls" to the state when they notice the river turning muddy. "Some of this will be necessary to complete the project but should be kept at a minimum," he promised.
Leavens said the MWA was successful in finding a source for the 1,200 tons of 12- to 18-inch diameter rocks and 980 tons of 30-inch diameter boulders needed to create the weirs in the river once the dam is removed. He intends to publicly praise and thank the entity that came through with the rocks but yesterday he would only hint at the source.
"I'm not going to release names, dates and figures until we get the rocks on hand," Leavens said. "Then that large developer will be everybody's best friend."
Once the Gruendyke structure is taken down, the Seber dam, another small impoundment just upstream from the site will also be removed.
There are about 20 unnecessary dams blocking the Musconetcong River over the course of its 44 miles between Lake Hopatcong and the Delaware River. Trout Unlimited and the MWA would like to see all of them dismantled.
Fred J. Aun covers the outdoors for The Star-Ledger. He may be reached at outdoors@starledger.com
______________________
Delays at Gruendyke a dam shame
Friday, September 21, 2007
BY FRED J. AUN
For the Star-Ledger
NJ.com: Everything Jersey
A sudden interest in the project by the state Division of Fish and Wildlife is the latest piece of red tape threatening to delay the long-sought removal of an old dam on the Musconetcong River near Hackettstown.
Nevertheless, Bill Leavens, president of the Musconetcong Watershed Association (MWA), believes the Gruendyke Mill Dam will be gone before the end of the month, opening up a section of the river so it can run cooler and allow for less-hampered fish travel.
Advertisement
Leavens was at the site yesterday with a contractor, going over plans. "We're just about to start clearing the property," he said. "Once we get final clearance from the state historic preservation, dam safety and Fish and Wildlife people, we can go in there."
Fish and Wildlife only recently got involved, Leavens said. He wasn't sure what the Division wants -- explaining the project engineer is handling the situation -- but he's about had it with all the reviews and permitting involved. After all, Leavens noted, it was the state's concern that the old dam was dangerous that initiated the project.
"If I get out of this without a heart attack and a stroke, we'll be fine," he joked.
While fish, particularly trout -- and the anglers that seek them -- are going to benefit from the dam removal, Trout Unlimited (which is helping the MWA) warned anglers the project will add some cloudiness to the river just when the fall trout-stocking season is about to begin.
"There will be silt and dirty water moving downstream during the actual removal process and during the building of the three new weirs needed to re-stabilize the river bed at the dam site and just upstream," wrote Trout Unlimited New Jersey State Council vice chairman Brian Cowden on njtrout.com. "As we get closer to heavy equipment in the stream, I will send out another alert."
Cowden asked anglers to refrain from making "panicked calls" to the state when they notice the river turning muddy. "Some of this will be necessary to complete the project but should be kept at a minimum," he promised.
Leavens said the MWA was successful in finding a source for the 1,200 tons of 12- to 18-inch diameter rocks and 980 tons of 30-inch diameter boulders needed to create the weirs in the river once the dam is removed. He intends to publicly praise and thank the entity that came through with the rocks but yesterday he would only hint at the source.
"I'm not going to release names, dates and figures until we get the rocks on hand," Leavens said. "Then that large developer will be everybody's best friend."
Once the Gruendyke structure is taken down, the Seber dam, another small impoundment just upstream from the site will also be removed.
There are about 20 unnecessary dams blocking the Musconetcong River over the course of its 44 miles between Lake Hopatcong and the Delaware River. Trout Unlimited and the MWA would like to see all of them dismantled.
Fred J. Aun covers the outdoors for The Star-Ledger. He may be reached at outdoors@starledger.com
