April 21, 2023| Environment
By: Marty Kane
This past week saw what arguably could be one of the most important water quality breakthroughs over the past two decades at Lake Hopatcong. Sewers for the lakefront portion of Jefferson Township, as well as Lake Shawnee, took a huge step forward when Rep. Mikie Sherrill named the phase one engineering work for this sewer project on her latest list of Community Funded Projects.
With 40% of the lake’s shoreline, the lack of any sanitary sewers in Jefferson Township has been identified for some time as a major shortcoming for the lake’s water quality. While the lakefront areas of Roxbury and Mount Arlington are fully sewered, and Hopatcong has more than half its shoreline with sewers, the ability of Jefferson Township to catch up has been an issue that many feared might never be able to be addressed. However, with the perseverance of Jefferson’s Mayor Wilsusen, the strong support of his fellow lake mayors, assistance from the Lake Hopatcong Commission and Lake Hopatcong Foundation, and the tremendous cooperation of Rep. Sherrill and her staff, the possibility of the project moving forward has become a real possibility.
Sherrill’s efforts started by getting $90 million in funding for sewers in Jefferson Township approved as part of the Water Resources Development Act, which passed Congress and was signed by the President in December. Those funds, however, still needed to be appropriated in order for the project to begin. This is that next step. The $750k requested as a Community Funded Project would fund the necessary engineering work to be accomplished by the Army Corps of Engineers.
Final decisions on which Community Funded Projects ultimately receive funding will be made by the House Committee on Appropriations later this year and must be passed through the Fiscal Year 2024 Congressional budget process. However, with a recent history of full funding for the projects along with the strong support of Rep. Sherrill and Rep. Tom Kean, Jr., who represents the other three lake municipalities, we are closer than we have ever been to the possibility of Jefferson sewers.
It will take years and much still has to happen before sewers in Jefferson can become a reality. But thanks to a true collaborative effort, the project has taken an important step forward. A really great week for the lake!
