Rusty Spinner
Active member
The following letter was forwarded to me by our partners at the Musconetcong Watershed Association and we have been asked to distribute it to our members and others that have followed this with interest on all sides:
I am writing on behalf of DEP Commissioner Bob Martin regarding your letter about the Lake Hopatcong Water Level Management Plan. The Department received hundreds of e-mails and letters concerning this issue and I am unable to respond to each individually. I would deeply appreciate your sharing this information with the other members and supporters of the Musconetcong Watershed Association.
A Citizen’s Advisory Committee was formed more than a year ago to work with the Department of Environmental Protection to update Lake Hopatcong’s Water Level Management Plan. The goal of the Water Level Management Plan is “to protect the environmental health and the natural and scenic resources of Lake Hopatcong and the Musconetcong River System.” That plan is now complete and has been approved by the Commissioner.
A scientific study conducted by the Department confirmed that the 12 cfs outflow for Lake Hopatcong and the Musconetcong River appropriately balances the needs of the lake community and the downstream community.
The Water Level Management Plan also provides specific procedures and protocols for when the Department might need to deviate from the 12 cfs outflow. Decisions on outflow adjustment will be made only after the Department conducts necessary scientific tests to ensure that the downstream users and ecology would be adequately protected under adjusted flow conditions.
Thank you for your interest in and concern for Lake Hopatcong and the Musconetcong River. For additional information on the Lake Hopatcong Water Level Management Plan, please visit Lake Hopatcong Commisssion site.
Sincerely,
Kerry Kirk Pflugh
DEP Liaison to the Lake Hopatcong Commission
I will follow this up with additional info...
---------- Post added at 01:25 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:21 PM ----------
While I have yet to read through the entire 50+ page flow plan, I do know we got some significant protections in the "Low Water/Flow" paragraph that were of strong concern to us in the draft plan. Specifically, we now have in place limits for water temperatures and dissolved oxygen for the upper river between the two lakes that must meet the NJ Surface Water Quality Standards before a reduction in flow can be considered.
At first blush, while the plan is not perfect and nothing ever is, this is a big win for the upper river and the entire watershed when it comes to flows out of Lake Hopatcong into the upper Musconetcong River.
I am writing on behalf of DEP Commissioner Bob Martin regarding your letter about the Lake Hopatcong Water Level Management Plan. The Department received hundreds of e-mails and letters concerning this issue and I am unable to respond to each individually. I would deeply appreciate your sharing this information with the other members and supporters of the Musconetcong Watershed Association.
A Citizen’s Advisory Committee was formed more than a year ago to work with the Department of Environmental Protection to update Lake Hopatcong’s Water Level Management Plan. The goal of the Water Level Management Plan is “to protect the environmental health and the natural and scenic resources of Lake Hopatcong and the Musconetcong River System.” That plan is now complete and has been approved by the Commissioner.
A scientific study conducted by the Department confirmed that the 12 cfs outflow for Lake Hopatcong and the Musconetcong River appropriately balances the needs of the lake community and the downstream community.
The Water Level Management Plan also provides specific procedures and protocols for when the Department might need to deviate from the 12 cfs outflow. Decisions on outflow adjustment will be made only after the Department conducts necessary scientific tests to ensure that the downstream users and ecology would be adequately protected under adjusted flow conditions.
Thank you for your interest in and concern for Lake Hopatcong and the Musconetcong River. For additional information on the Lake Hopatcong Water Level Management Plan, please visit Lake Hopatcong Commisssion site.
Sincerely,
Kerry Kirk Pflugh
DEP Liaison to the Lake Hopatcong Commission
I will follow this up with additional info...
---------- Post added at 01:25 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:21 PM ----------
While I have yet to read through the entire 50+ page flow plan, I do know we got some significant protections in the "Low Water/Flow" paragraph that were of strong concern to us in the draft plan. Specifically, we now have in place limits for water temperatures and dissolved oxygen for the upper river between the two lakes that must meet the NJ Surface Water Quality Standards before a reduction in flow can be considered.
At first blush, while the plan is not perfect and nothing ever is, this is a big win for the upper river and the entire watershed when it comes to flows out of Lake Hopatcong into the upper Musconetcong River.
