Public lakes funding moves forward

March 03, 2023| Advocacy

By: Marty Kane

When the Lake Hopatcong Foundation was founded back in 2012, one of the initial issues identified was that Lake Hopatcong really did not have a “voice.” Despite being the largest lake in the state, many people were largely unaware of it, and few appreciated it as one of the state’s greatest resources.  As a result, the lake was receiving little attention and no funding. In fact, at that time, the Lake Hopatcong Commission had been removed from the state budget and was in imminent danger of ending operations. One of our goals as an organization was to change the perception of the lake and bring it the attention it deserved.

Regular meetings were held with state, county, and local officials, slowly bringing about change. Notably, in 2018, the late Senator Tony Bucco, Sr., led the fight in Trenton to get legislation approved directing $500k per year in motorboat licensing fees to again fund Lake Hopatcong Commission, allowing it to get back on its feet and continue its important role in managing Lake Hopatcong.

Even with regular support for the Lake Hopatcong Commission, there continued to be very few sources of funding to help meet the many challenges facing the lake such as stormwater management, invasive species, failing septic systems, algal blooms, road salt, and rising lake temperatures to name a few. In the face of these difficulties, we formed the Public Lakes Alliance of New Jersey to provide the opportunity for collaboration with other lakes throughout the state, creating a more unified voice for New Jersey lakes.

The dramatic harmful algal blooms that struck lakes across the region during the summer of 2019 highlighted the tremendous need for additional maintenance and conservation projects on our lakes. With the assistance of Senators Tony Bucco, Steve Oroho, and Joe Pennacchio, we hosted visits to Lake Hopatcong from the Governor, Senate President, NJDEP Commissioner, and many other federal and state officials. These collaborative efforts culminated in 2021 with the unanimous passing of $10M in funding for public lakes, which was signed by the Governor in September of that year. This marked the first time there was a dedicated source of funding in New Jersey specifically to address lake issues.

This $10M of funding was awarded by NJDEP this past November in the form of grants. The Lake Hopatcong Commission received $1M for important stormwater projects, the Morris County Park Commission was awarded $722k for stormwater infrastructure at Lee’s County Park in Van Every Cove, and Mount Arlington receiving $36k for rain gardens in five critical runoff areas within the Borough. Our partners at Greenwood Lake, Deal Lake, Lake Musconetcong and elsewhere also had important projects funded. It was reported by DEP, though, that there were some $30 million in requests by New Jersey’s public lakes that could not be funded. 

This year, Senators Tony Bucco, Steve Oroho, Joe Pennachio, and Vin Gopal championed legislation introduced in January to provide an additional $17M in public lakes funding for 2023. In February the same legislation was introduced in the Assembly by Aura Dunn as well as the Chair (Jim Kennedy) and Deputy Chair (Sterley Stanley) of the Environmental Committee. Parker Space, Hal Wirths, and John McKeon also sponsored the bill.

On February 16, our executive director, Kyle Richter, gave testimony in support of the new legislation before the NJ Senate’s Environment and Energy Committee. The Committee cleared the legislation 4-0 and sent it on to the Budget and Appropriations Committee. In the Assembly, we expect to have the Bill heard by the Environment and Solid Waste Committee in the very near future.

With the support and assistance of so many, the battle for our public lakes continues to move forward and the future of Lake Hopatcong looks that much brighter.