Please consider sending your own version of the below letter to the following email addresses: john.trontis@dep.state.nj.us, david.chanda@dep.state.nj.us, Amy.Cradic@dep.state.nj.us, beth@musconetcong.org
Robert Martin, Commissioner
New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection
December 27, 2010
Dear Commissioner Martin,
As a long-time member and former Executive Director of the Musconetcong Watershed Association, I am writing to request that the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection withdraw the “Low Water” paragraph from the DRAFT Lake Hopatcong Water Level Management Plan (LHWLMP). The state must carry out its duty protect vulnerable water resources for all citizens, even if that protection may sometimes come at the expense of commercial interests.
Please consider the following when making your decision in favor of protection of the Musconetcong River from potentially damaging low flow except in an emergency:
1) The Musconetcong River is a part of the National Wild and Scenic River System. This federal designation is conferred on the few rivers that can demonstrate “remarkably outstanding characteristics” and comes only after a rigorous eligibility study.
2) The Musconetcong River must be protected because it is a Category One waterbody under the N.J. Stormwater Regulations for most of its 42 miles. These antidegradation standards protect the river from measurable changes in water quality because of its Exceptional Ecological Significance.
3) The Musconetcong River is one of the premier trout streams in New Jersey and it is stocked by NJ Fish and Wildlife, reductions in the flow could devastate the fishery.
4) The Musconetcong River receives treated effluent from two municipal sewage treatment plants and adequate river flow is needed to handle such discharges.
Please do not put this outstanding river at risk by reducing outflows for the benefit of polluting powerboats, personal watercraft and a hand full of marina operators..
Sincerely,
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