Hurricane Sandy to Shut Down State Parks

Parks to be shut down by noon on Sunday, officials say.

All state parks and historic sites are scheduled to be shut down at noon on Sunday in preparation for the arrival of Hurricane Sandy, Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Bob Martin announced today. According to Martin, safety concerns are forcing the closure and those who are camping now at state facilities across the state are being advised to prepare to leave those sites by mid-day Sunday. Martin also said those with reservations for next week are advised that parks may be closed through the entire week. Persons with reservations will be called by DEP personnel to reschedule their visits to state parks. After the storm passes through the state, the parks and historic sites will be assessed and re-opened on a case-by-case …

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Borough Water to Flow Into More Hopatcong Homes

18 residences running on a private well in the Heights will now be connected to municipality due to DEP violations.

For the past several years, the 18 homeowners part of the Arthur Well Association have been warned by the State Department of Environmental Protection to upgrade their water system to comply with its latest standards, or they would be faced with summonses. And on Tuesday night, those Hopatcong residents who have been using the privately-owned well found out that they will no longer have to worry about any fines they have been threatened with. In a meeting between Mayor Sylvia Petillo, borough engineer John Ruschke and residents from the association, homeowners voted unanimously to be connected to the municipality's water, a solution the borough offered to save the homeowners money. "The DEP is making them upgrade one way or another," …

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State DEP Offers Water-Saving Tips

Despite recent rain, New Jersey has faced a very dry season.

It may have rained recently, but overall, this has been a dry season in New Jersey. To that end, the state Department of Environmental Protection is asking residents to be mindful of how much water they use. The press release is below. Due to ongoing concerns about below normal precipitation, Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Bob Martin today encouraged residents across New Jersey to take steps to conserve water, both inside the home and outside.  While recent rainfall has helped ease this year’s precipitation deficits somewhat, the effects of an unusually dry winter and spring are starting to be felt across the state.  “Overall our major water supplies, including reservoirs and deep aquifers, remain in good shape,” …

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State to Harvest Lake Hopatcong's Weeds

Lake Hopatcong Commission, Department of Environmental Protection agree to terms.

The Lake Hopatcong Commission on Tuesday unanimously approved a memorandum of understanding between the commission and the state Department of Environmental Protection that will hand over the responsibility and costs of harvesting weeds from Lake Hopatcong. The agreement approved on Tuesday covers only the transfer of equipment, said Russell Felter, LHC chair and mayor of Jefferson Township. However, Felter said the state has verbally committed to hire one full-time commission employee and six full-time seasonal employees.  “Senators Bucco and Oroho and I have received commitment that these positions will be available," Felter said. "These are Civil Service jobs and they have salary guidelines. We’re pretty close for the salary on the …

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Should NJ Harvest Lake Hopatcong's Weeds?

Take our poll and tell us what you think.

Should the state Department of Environmental Protection take over the Lake Hopatcong Commission's task of harvesting Lake Hopatcong's weeds? It's a tough question, one that we covered here. But for the Cliff Notes verison: The commission will vote on whether to hand off weed harvesting to the state on Feb. 21 at a meeting at the Hopatcong State Park. But before they vote, let them know how you feel. Take our poll and tell us in the comments if the state harvest Lake Hopatcong's weeds.

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State Expected to Start Weeding Lake Hopatcong

Harvesters to be given to parks division.