November 04, 2022| Community, Environment, People
By: Donna Macalle-Holly
The year was 2013. The Lake Hopatcong Foundation was beginning its second year as a non-profit dedicated to improving Lake Hopatcong. In the fall of that year, the 60-inch lake drawdown, which occurs every five years, was scheduled.
Having worked at the Lake Hopatcong Commission for over a decade prior to joining the Foundation that year, I was keenly aware of the massive amount of debris the Commission’s operational field staff had removed from the lake during the 60-inch drawdown in 2003. But the Foundation did not have a field staff of seven that could spend weeks during the fall clearing debris, including hundreds of tires, from the lake. How could the Foundation, with a staff of three, accomplish what the Commission had successfully done a decade earlier? Planning, partners, and plenty of enthusiastic volunteers… that’s how.
On Thursday, August 8, 2013, the Foundation hosted a Lake Hopatcong Community Cleanup kickoff meeting at our office on Nolan’s Point. Seventeen people representing the four local municipalities, Morris and Sussex County Clean Communities, the Lake Hopatcong Commission, the Morris County Park Commission, Hopatcong State Park, and the Musconetcong Watershed Association joined us to begin planning for a large-scale cleanup.
We definitely had our work cut out for us. Since the last major lake-wide cleanup ten years earlier, Hurricane Irene, Tropical Storm Lee, and Hurricane Sandy had all blown through the area, adding to the standard debris lost in the lake annually.
When the cleanup day finally arrived on Saturday, November 9, the cleanup committee had recruited 400 volunteers, who accessed the lake from nearly 40 locations to remove debris along the lake’s exposed shoreline. In all, more than 23,000 pounds of debris were removed, including 1,100 tires, 2,000 beverage cans, 1,500 glass bottles, 13 appliances, 14 batteries, and 500 plastic bags.
As Jess Murphy, the Foundation’s executive director at that time, said in an article celebrating our 10th anniversary in the Labor Day 2022 edition of the Lake Hopatcong News, “It was an event that put the Foundation on the map for a lot of people. It showed what potential we had and a need we were filling. It was about the lake, but it was also about the community around the lake. The way the community cares about the lake really showed that day.”
Fast forward to November 3, 2018… to the next 60-inch drawdown and our second lake-wide Lake Hopatcong Community Cleanup. This time around, we had a better idea of what to expect. Once again, we partnered with surrounding towns and groups. This time, more than 400 individuals signed up to volunteer and we obtained permission from more than 50 lakefront homeowners and business owners to access the lake in more areas. We were all set! But Mother Nature threw us a curve ball at the last minute.
Just one day before the cleanup, it started to rain. And rain. And rain. The USGS lake level gage at Hopatcong State Park showed that over a 12-hour period from Friday evening to early Saturday morning, the lake level rose nearly 5-inches. This immense amount of rain left the exposed lakebed saturated and mucky, creating extremely challenging conditions for the volunteers attempting to navigate it.
As I headed out early that morning to meet with volunteers at various cleanup access points, I was fully prepared for the possibility that many might decide not to participate due to the horrendous conditions. And honestly, who could blame them?
Instead of facing disappointment that morning, though, I was filled with an immense feeling of pride and gratitude for our volunteers. Not only did hundreds of volunteers still come out, but they came equipped with wooden boards, pickers, ropes, and other items they could use to help get to and remove debris from the saturated lakebed. It was a very challenging effort, but once again we came together as a community to help protect Lake Hopatcong.
Students from the Academy for Environmental Science at Jefferson Township High School did a data analysis of the 7,700 pieces of debris reported on the data collection forms completed by volunteers that day.
We have met so many amazing community members during these lake-wide cleanups. Mount Arlington resident Jim Leffler joined our very first one and recalled, “Alongside many other volunteers that day, I had a lot of fun while pitching in and helping make our lake a cleaner and safer place.” Jim has continued to volunteer for the Foundation through the years, even joining our Board of Trustees in 2019. “The Foundation has done so much for our amazing lake and I’m always happy to help,” he said. "I've met many great friends along the way and I'm already looking forward to making a difference at the next lake-wide cleanup in November 2023.”
We are grateful to all our amazing volunteers and partners for their tremendous support of our Lake Hopatcong Community Cleanups. With two in the books now, our third lake-wide cleanup will be here in about a year. We hope you will join us in the effort and help us create a cleaner lake, together.
Lake-Wide Cleanups Photo Album
