Lake Hopatcong waters rising as drawdown slows

Due to dry weather and the state's recent drawdown of Lake Hopatcong, the Division of Fish and Wildlife is reducing the amount of water allowed to flow out of the lake in order to help New Jersey's largest lake fill up faster.

State Department of Environmental Protection spokeswoman Elaine Makatura said Monday that there is a lake drawn down every five years so the state can inspect dam structures, analyze aquatic vegetation and see whether lakeshore structures need repairs.

The drawdown commenced in October, and the lake is now refilling. The state Friday reduced the standard 7.5 million gallons of water flowing out of the lake per day to 5.3 million gallons per day.

Jefferson Mayor Russell Felter said Monday that he was pleased with the reduction of outflow.

"We wish it happened a little sooner," he said. "Now it looks like we're going to have a decent week of rain, which will help."

Maintaining the minimum flow rate is critical to protecting aquatic life in the downstream reaches of the Musconetcong River, which flows from Lake Hopatcong, according to the DEP's Web site. It also will ensure appropriate water levels in the river for opening day of trout season on Saturday.

Should the flow rate be insufficient to protect and maintain aquatic life, the DEP will immediately order the resumption of standard passing flow from Lake Hopatcong.

Felter said he'd like to confer with state officials to see if the entire drawdown is necessary, or if there's a number in between that would be satisfactory.

"It's a very important thing to use," Felter said of the stakeholders in the Morris and Sussex County communities surrounding the lake.

"We just want to be able to make sure the management plan is where it should be," he said.

Jefferson, Roxbury, Mount Arlington and Hopatcong comprise the four communities surrounding the lake and depend on summer tourism to help fill their coffers.

Felter stressed he's confident this upcoming boating season will be a good one.

"People should just go ahead and get their boat ready," he said. "There's going to be water in the lake. We're not worried about that."






Almost time to go fishing Demonic!

The state Department of Environmental Protection has cut back the amount of water being released from Lake Hopatcong from a high of more than 7 million gallons a day to about 4.2 million gallons, state Sen. Anthony R. Bucco announced Thursday.

“They started today, they adjusted the gates on the damn,” Bucco said. “Hopefully it will make a big difference in the next few days.”

The state had previously reduced the standard 7.5 million gallons of water flowing out of the lake per day to 5.3 million per day. The lake was drawn down last year so the state could inspect dam structures, analyze aquatic vegetation and whether lakeshore structures need repairing.

Bucco and Felter have said that businesses surrounding the lake are concerned about the low water level hampering their businesses. A study done several years ago showed that lake related tourism brought about $200 million a year into the area, Bucco said.

“We would like to have seen more but 4.2 (million) helps,” said Jefferson Mayor Russell Felter. “Its recovered a little bit but its going in the right direction. If they went to 3 (million) that would be a big help.”

The state is limited in what it can release by what is needed downstream in Lake Musconetcong, various trout streams and at a sewage treatment plant, Bucco said.

All right - Party at Mr P's in a few weeks!!

A dozen marinas and restaurants surrounding Lake Hopatcong have filed a lawsuit against the state Department of Environmental Protection to immediately stop the daily outflow of water from the 2,500-acre manmade lake until the water level reaches its normal high water mark.

The lawsuit, filed with state Superior Court Assignment Judge B. Theodore Bozonelis in Morristown, seeks a declaration of a temporary state of emergency regarding the lake and its current water level. The lawsuit alleges that the state mishandled a 60-inch lake drawdown last fall and those violations have resulted in a lake that is several feet lower than it should be by now and is preventing recreational use of the lake on which the businesses rely.

A spokesperson for the DEP was not immediately available for comment.

A 60-inch drawdown is conducted every five years to permit major repairs to seawalls, docks, and for dam inspection and vegetation control.

According to the suit, the drawdown began as normal in September, but on Dec. 15, 2008, when the gates were required to be closed so that only a bypass amount of 7.5 million gallons per day were released, considerably more water was released than should have been allowed. In total, the lawsuit contends, the water loss to Lake Hopatcong caused by "improper deviation" from the drawdown plan is estimated at about 1.5 billion gallons or about two feet.

"At present due to the excessively low water levels, plaintiffs are unable to conduct their normal business and are suffering damage. There is not enough water to utilize boat slips, or to entice individuals, tourists and others to use the lake and the surrounding businesses," the lawsuit said.

The businesses suing the state include San Bar Marina, Flash Watersports and Marine, Batten the Hatches, Windlass Restaurant, Kabob's Restaurant, and others.

that really sucks that the business have to do this... its a definite infringement on their ventures being dependent of the lake itself

I would think the lake is rising pretty good with rain everyday :thumbup:

almostgone wrote: I would think the lake is rising pretty good with rain everyday :thumbup:

Yes it is! I was out today with my dad for 9 hours fishing. Never hit bottom once today. Hopefully this rain keeps coming.

These mother fuckers in Trenton suck balls!!!

The state Department of Environmental Protection today raised the rateLake Hopatcong water outflow from 4.2 million gallons a day to 5.3 million gallons a day, making it harder for lake levels to fill for the upcoming boating season, State Sen. Anthony Bucco, R-Morris, said Monday.

"They opened the gates to 5.3 (mgd)," Bucco said during a Monday phone interview. Bucco said he got word of the raised level from the assistant commissioner of the DEP, which made the move to protect "aquatic life downstream."

Bucco said an annual lake boat race was canceled due to the low water levels, and area businesses are worried the boating season might be ruined.

"The businesses are hurting," Bucco said. "The people can't enjoy their own docks can't get their boats to the docks. They can't even get their boats in the water."

On a related note, a lawsuit by a dozen marinas and restaurants on Lake Hopatcong was transferred earlier this month to a state appeals court, which will decide whether the state Department of Environmental Protection acted within its discretion to radically lower the lake level or that a trial should occur.

The lawsuit asked state Superior Court Assignment Judge B. Theodore Bozonelis in Morristown to declare a state of emergency for the lake, which is nearly three feet lower than it should be at this time of year. And the complaint demanded that the DEP immediately stop its then-current, daily 4.2 million gallon release of water through dam gates from the 2,500-acre lake until the level reaches its normal high water mark.

sorry to here that MP

So how is the water looking. You know you have to keep us updated LOL

almostgone wrote: So how is the water looking. You know you have to keep us updated LOL

Well, I just got in from a flooding front yard from the street. Gutters were also clogged. Must have had about 3/4 inch of rain just come down.

Tonight from NOAA.

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MOUNT HOLLY NJ HAS ISSUED A

* FLOOD ADVISORY FOR...
EAST CENTRAL BERKS COUNTY IN EASTERN PENNSYLVANIA...
LEHIGH COUNTY IN EASTERN PENNSYLVANIA...
THIS INCLUDES THE CITY OF ALLENTOWN...
SOUTHERN NORTHAMPTON COUNTY IN EASTERN PENNSYLVANIA...
THIS INCLUDES THE CITIES OF...EASTON...BETHLEHEM...
WEST CENTRAL MORRIS COUNTY IN NORTHERN NEW JERSEY...
WESTERN HUNTERDON COUNTY IN NORTHWEST NEW JERSEY...
EXTREME SOUTH CENTRAL SUSSEX COUNTY IN NORTHWEST NEW JERSEY...
SOUTHERN WARREN COUNTY IN NORTHWEST NEW JERSEY...
NORTHWESTERN BUCKS COUNTY IN SOUTHEAST PENNSYLVANIA...
NORTHWESTERN MONTGOMERY COUNTY IN SOUTHEAST PENNSYLVANIA...

* UNTIL 1245 AM EDT

* AT 951 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATED THAT IN
EXCESS OF TWO INCHES OF RAIN WAS FALLING FROM AN AREA OF STORMS
CENTERED OVER THE LEHIGH VALLEY AND MOVING INTO NORTHWEST NEW
JERSEY.

THE RAIN WILL MOVE ACROSS THE AREA LATE THIS EVENING...AND SHOULD
CAUSE SOME FLOODING OF POOR DRAINAGE SPOTS IN RURAL...SUBURBAN AND
URBAN AREAS...AND IT MAY CAUSE FLOODING OF SMALL STREAMS.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

DO NOT DRIVE YOUR VEHICLE INTO AREAS WHERE THE WATER COVERS THE
ROADWAY. THE WATER DEPTH MAY BE TOO GREAT TO ALLOW YOUR CAR TO CROSS
SAFELY. FIND AN ALTERNATE ROUTE.

well i was woken from a drunken sleep, so the thunder must have been pretty loud. Hope it keeps raining, i want water levels back to normal . Any fisherman would agree that this season, is a bad season.

The state Department of Environmental Protection has reduced the amount of Lake Hopatcong outflow from 5.3 million gallons a day to 4.2 million gallons a day.

DEP spokeswoman Elaine Makatura said the state reduced the outflow on Monday based on "stream-flow observation and lower temperatures."

This is important to the lake community because less water flowing from Lake Hopatcong to Lake Musconetcong means Lake Hopatcong's water level will rise.

However, it remains to be seen if the move to cut outflow will help save the upcoming boating season.

Ray Fernandez, owner of the Bridge Marina in Jefferson, said a normal lake level is 9- to 9-and-a-half feet, and on Tuesday its level was 7.43 feet.

"Every single inch counts," he said. "Right now we are at 7.43 -- at 7.5 we can start launching boats."

Fernandez said he and fellow business owners have been frustrated for months by the state's inaction in minimizing water outflow to build up the lake level.

The Memorial Day weekend usually is one of the busiest for marina owners.

"Every year, every boat is in the water at my marina on Memorial Day," he said of his 90-boat marina. "Right now there's four. ... By the end of the week I'm going to start squeezing in the little ones."

Fernandez said the near foot-and-a-half different between 7.5 and 9 feet is important.

"All the ramps are in that foot-and-a-half," he said. Because the current water level is so low, "most of the homes can't put boats in front of them," he said of the ramps.

Fernandez said if the state had acted two months ago to try to increase the lake level by lessening outflow, there'd be four or five more inches of water.

"At any point they can change the flow," he said.

The state earlier this month increased the level of outflow due to concerns about aquatic life downstream from the lake.

Depending on rain levels in upcoming weeks, the state could reduce or raise the level of outflow.

"Rainfall definitely plays into the state's decision, or lake thereof," Makatura said Tuesday.

A lawsuit filed by a dozen marinas and restaurants on Lake Hopatcong was transferred earlier this month to a state appeals court, which will decide whether it alone has say over the DEPaction or whether the matter should be returned to a Superior Court for a trial.

The lawsuit asked state Superior Court Assignment Judge B. Theodore Bozonelis in Morristown to declare a state of emergency for the Lake Hopatcong, which is nearly three feet lower than it usually is at this time of year.

The complaint also demanded that the DEP immediately stop the 4.2 million gallon release of water through dam gates from the 2,500-acre lake until the level reaches its normal high water mark.

An appellate judge Wednesday denied the request of a group of Lake Hopatcong-area marina owners who sought to have the state stop water outflow from the lake in order to build up the water level.

Appellate Judge Stephen Skillman, in a one-page order, denied the request for emergent relief without commenting on the issue.

A dozen marina and restaurant owners filed a lawsuit late last month requesting the state Department of Environmental Protection stop all water flowing out of the lake either through the Lake Hopatcong Dam or the Hopatcong State Park Fountain.

Currently, 4.2 million gallons of water flow out of the lake down the Musconetcong River per day. The business owners wanted the outflow ceased because they allege the state mishandled a 60-inch drawdown last fall that resulted in a lake that is nearly three feet shallower than it should be this time of year.

News of the denial, especially with Memorial Day weekend approaching, hit the business community hard.

"What this means with Memorial Day, we're already running $15,000 down so far," Bob Winegar, owner of Kabobs Restaurant, said Wednesday. Winegar was one of the owners involved in the suit.

"The boats can't get in," he said. "It just devastates the businesses that are on the lake, and nobody understands that, especially the state."

State DEP spokeswoman Elaine Makatura said the department had no comment on the ruling.

A 60-inch drawdown is conducted every five years to permit major repairs to seawalls and docks and for dam inspection and vegetation control. According to the suit, the drawdown began as normal in September. But on Dec. 15, 2008, when the Lake Hopatcong Water Level Management Plan called for the gates to be closed so that only a daily bypass amount of 7.5 million gallons was released, the gates were not closed, the lawsuit said.

Instead, "the improper releasing" of water went unabated until Jan. 7, sometimes by as much as 57 million extra gallons of water a day, the lawsuit said.

In total, "the improper deviation" from the management plan resulted in a loss of 1.5 billion gallons or about two feet of water from the lake between Dec. 15 and Jan. 7, the complaint alleges.

"There really isn't any other recourse at this point," Winegar said. "The DEP is not going to say it made a mistake. ... This is the problem, we have paperwork to prove it."

So a good thing is it is going to rain all week they say!!