The Sussex County Side of Lake Hopatcong still Carp Harping

The Lake Hopatcong Commission had conducted its special Commission meeting Monday July 22nd in the same location as its July 8th meeting - the non airconditioned room of the Hopatcong High School cafeteria drew 200 people from 4 municipalities. Hopatcong is the only Sussex County municipality included in these Lake Hopatcong HAB commission team discussions. Concurrently, the Sussex County Freeholder board has become a significant stakeholder to the changing landscape of Lake Hopatcong. They are involved in new development plans for Lake Hopatcong's underutilized lakefront properties.

The Sussex County Freeholders have shown hands-on cooperation for Hopatcong Borough redevelopment plans along its west side shoreline of Lake Hopatcong. However, they were not recognized as being present in these commission discussions on July 22nd. The Sussex County Freeholder push for new development is a collaboration that includes application to the North Jersey Transportation Authority for a concept development study in the replacement of the River Styx Bridge. The total rough estimated cost is $17M to $22M. The estimated County contribution to the replacement is $4M with potential grants (through the NJTPA LCD Grant) of $18M. The Borough identifies the Bridge as a critical link in revitalizing the area between Hudson Maxim School and the area immediately beyond the Bridge. Shouldn’t all the stakeholders of Lake Hopatcong be informed of their development plans?

It was interesting that no one from the Sussex County freeholder board cared to learn what impact the HAB predicament would have to committed developers investing in new expanded construction footprints on the lake through “Luxury” condominium units offering new private marina slips with their real estate purchase. Ironically one of its Freeholders is its former Hopatcong mayor (reason for Mike Francis’ appointed position as Hopatcong Mayor) and her November campaign running mate for Freeholder is the President of Hopatcong BOE. The Hopatcong Hudson Maxim school and its surrounding properties are up for sale.

The current mayor of Hopatcong has pivoted away from discussions of septic and sewer connection woes in these past commission meetings. The Borough of Hopatcong has 16,000 residents on the shores of the Lake. The Borough had originated in a difficult sanitary sewer project. It was evident the individual septic systems and the shallow depth to bedrock were causing groundwater and surface water degradation. There are still septic systems on the lake shore of Hopatcong Borough. Some of them are in disrepair.

The current Hopatcong Mayor has publicly taken issue with the State for its strict restrictions on sterile grass carp Here is the State’s position on this carp “Triploid” was developed, which is incapable of successful spawning. This was done to prevent natural reproduction, which would allow them to spread unchecked in our waters and subsequently denude these waters of vegetation. Aquatic plants are an essential part of the aquatic environment, as fish, waterfowl and furbearers utilize them for food and shelter. They are especially important to fish species such as the chain pickerel who use it for egg laying substrate, and for young bass and sunfish who feed on insects clinging to its stems. The New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife also added the following – “We will allow for the stocking of waters of 10 acres or less in size, and where it can be reasonably expected that the fish can be prevented from escaping. - A minimum of 40% of the lake surface must be covered with a vegetation that is palatable to the species before it will be considered for stocking.” Still, Mayor Mike Francis has difficulty accepting the rationale from the state in banning Triploid Grass Carp in Lake Hopatcong.

One can understand the resentment from the Sussex County side of Lake Hopatcong to any additional municipal fees for lake clean ups. In 2013 mostly lakefront property owners, saw increases averaging about 30 percent in their borough taxes. According to Appraisal Systems, Inc., the company that performed the Hopatcong appraisals, the tax rate increased from $2.15 to $3.07 per $100 of assessed value. The issue, according to residents, is that this 2013 reevaluation assessed their homes at such values that taxes increased dramatically.

Six years after this borough tax rate hike, we now have a bill passed in Trenton allowing municipalities, counties or a combination of municipalities, to form a stormwater utility. A municipality can construct any number of “green infrastructure” projects that serve to intercept stormwater runoff, and filter out the contamination, before it enters the lake. Effective stormwater solutions cost money and require regular maintenance. A stormwater utility, like a water, or sewer authority, can charge user fees in order to finance their operations. A stormwater utility could charge properties based on the size of impervious surfaces they have. However, this bill is not getting any consideration from the Republican leadership in Sussex County who are quick to dismiss it as an additional burden to the taxpayer by their Democratic Governor.
According to Elliott Ruga the Policy & Communications Director of the New Jersey Highlands Coalition.” the option exists to do nothing. And that is what the District 24 Legislators are advocating. Misleadingly calling a stormwater utility fee a “tax,” Sen. Steve Oroho, and Assemblymen Parker Space and Harold Wirths, are pressing the towns around Lake Hopatcong and in their district to pass resolutions not to establish stormwater utilities. They claim that “municipalities already have stormwater systems in place that manage stormwater.” Further stated in this plea for a stormwater utility in Northjersey.com - The primary culprit that is causing the algae blooms in Lake Hopatcong and other recreational lakes and reservoirs in northern New Jersey is untreated stormwater, which carries a slew of toxins from hard surfaces, such as roads and parking lots, and washes contaminants directly into the lake. This condition, if it continues unchecked, could be devastating to the economies of Lake Hopatcong’s communities, which depend on the recreational use of the lake by residents and visitors.

Unfortunate for Lake Hopatcong it resides in two counties where the Sussex County side is on a mission not to cooperate with the Governor’s state’s environmental tools available to its Mayors. Creating funding instruments to clean up the lake has become a heated tug of war match especially in Sussex County.