Cedar Grove Council Ponders Proposed Plan to Drain Township Reservoir

It was revealed at Monday's Cedar Grove Township Council meeting that a plan to drain reservoirs in Passaic County will involve a local one as well, a published report said.

Township Manager Thomas Tucci told the council that he learned that the Cedar Grove Reservoir is included on a list of bodies of water to be drained in a $100 million plan to protect them from bacteria and pollution, according to the Verona-Cedar Grove Times.

The plan is being proposed by the Passaic Valley Water Commission to ensure that the reservoirs meet federal Environmental Protection Agency standards set in 2006, the article said.

Woodland Park Mayor Keith Kazmark approached the council on June easking for its support for a resolution opposing the drainage plan because of its cost and aesthetics.

Then came Monday, when the council heard that Cedar Grove's own reservoir, which is on Ridge Road and owned by Newark, was among the basins included in the proposal.

The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection in January said a proposed $62.73 million project for "construction of a cover for the Cedar Grove Reservoir" tops a list of 420 state drinking water projects that could qualify for state financing in the 2014 fiscal year. That possibility could have an affect on whether the Township Council would consider draining to be a good option for the basin.

The council said it would discuss the matter further at a future meeting. The body meets next, for reorganization, on July 1 at 7 p.m.