Memorial Day Is Here At Last At Lake Hopatcong

Water Level Comparison For 2008 and 2009

The sun is shining and the weather is perfect to go spend time with friends and family on N.J.’s largest lake, Lake Hopatcong.

Since we have home on the lake we are lucky enough to be able to just walk out on to the dock and jump in the family boat. Our boat however is not in the water yet because it is not safe to launch it as the water level is too low.

If you had read the previous post from yesterday or you have been following N.J. local news, you may know that we are having a problem here on Lake Hopatcong with the water depth.

We live in an area on the lake, where the water at our dock is approximately 2 feet deep. It is normally 5-6 feet deep. The newspapers report that state and local officials have said that the water level is approximately 2 feet below normal. Please look at the picture at the top of the page, the water looks shallower than what has been reported.

Here is an article that my wife emailed to me this morning from a Gannette newspaper, which provides insight to the problem regarding Lake Hopatcong’s current water level. It also includes opinions from some other people who are affected by this problem.

When you read the article, notice the comments from the man at the Windlass restaurant. Apparently he believes that the problems we are having at Lake Hopatcong, may be political. Those who have the power in Trenton to help us do not care because this area is not a Democratic voting block. I don’t know if that is necessarily true and I would like to think that our elected representatives would not let ecological and environmental concerns be neglected and go uncorrected simply for political reasons. At this point you can decide for yourself.

You may view the contents on http://www.dailyrecord.com

Article Title is:

Shallow Water Keeps Boats On Shore

Marina Owner Helps Boater Out Of Low Lake Line

http://www.dailyrecord.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/200905250600/COMMUNITIES21/905250322

Nothing But Sea Weed And Dead Fish At Lake Hopatcong

Dead Fish Don't Swim In Lake Hopatcong

On Saturday, some of my family went out on our dock, to see how the problem with the water level was moving along.

There has been a good deal of press regarding this water level problem and specifically about a group of 12 business owners who have businesses around Lake Hopatcong and have been adversely affected by a draw down conducted last fall by the State Of New Jersey. This has contributed to the current problem we are having with Lake Hopatcong’s water level.

The water is approximately 2 feet below the normal level. This has caused concern amongst boaters and marinas alike, that they cannot launch their boats safely and effectively. The swimming shores also are not at an adequate water level for swimming.

Subsequently the business owners in the lawsuit who derive their business from the boaters who use Lake Hopatcong to buzz around, water ski, wakeboard, fish, etc. are now facing trouble because without these boaters, their source of revenue is decreased substantially. It is certainly bad enough that the current economic conditions are affecting these business owners to begin with, now they also must deal with this additional obstacle.

New Jersey state court appeals court heard their case and denied a motion for emergent relief without reason. Obviously the business owners are not pleased with this decision and continue to blame the State of New Jersey for the troubles.

Please look for links throughout the web site to various informational sources regarding this matter.

On Saturnday, my son wanted to fish for a little while, so we went and bought worms and came back to do some fishing.

We live on the lake and we have a dock. We were able to fish off the dock but the water was approximately 3 feet less than it ordinarily is and that made quite a difference. It was about 2 feet deep where it is usually 5 feet deep.

Fishing wasn’t very good because of this and just the site of the fish carcasses and the plastic bottles just was very unappealing. I was very dissatisfied with what I saw and needless to say my son and I lost our enthusiasm to fish before long as well. Forget swimming too.

Needless to say I was quite discouraged about what I saw and that motivated me to try to do something about it. That is how this blog was born.

Please take a look at some of these pictures from that day. You can see clearly that Lake Hopatcong is in a deteriorating state and we need to organize and correct these problems. The communities around the lake need to work with each other and the state to resolve this problem.

From what I hear at this time, the organization currently responsible for the well being of Lake Hopatcong is

LAKE HOPATCONG COMMISSION

P.O. Box 8515, Landing NJ 07850

973-601-1070 (phone) 973-601-1071 (fax)

E-MAIL: lkhopcom@lakehopatcong.org

LAKE HOPATCONG COMMISSION WEB SITE

I don’t know much about them but I would like to learn more about why Lake Hopatcong is deteriorating like it is.

Save Lake Hopatcong Welcome Post

We live in a town in NJ called Mount Arlington. It is a lake front community on Lake Hopatcong, New Jersey’s largest lake.

There are a myriad of problems concerning the lake at this time and certainly the people who live on the lake and conduct business on the lake each have a different reason not to be encouraged by the way the lake is being cared for politically, judicially, environmentally, economically and socially. We will cover some of these issues now that summer is upon us and when the lake is used the most.

The SaveNJLake Website is intended to assemble and disseminate information about the negative conditions currently affecting the Lake Hopatcong.

Because of what appears to be neglect and due to lack of money, New Jersey’s largest man made natural resource is deteriorating into a cesspool of fish carcasses, paper, plastic bottles and overgrown ecological growth that is causing deterioration to the communities that surround it.

It is our hope that word will spread as a result of this website, and those whom are politically active will hear what is happening here and hopefully apply some of their resources to make a difference to a very important problem that is affecting New Jersey and its residents.

It is our desire to educate people about this problem and give the residents and business owners who are already affected by this problem, a place to share their thoughts and opinions regarding this matter. The ultimate goal is to restore Lake Hopatcong to a condition that is environmentally safe for the community who uses it and ultimately make it better place for NJ residents and those who may visit the lake from out of state.

Please take the time to look around and read some of the articles and information about the problems at Lake Hopatcong. Please feel free to express yourself and share your opinions and ideas about how the community can effectively deal with this problem.

The information provided on this site is published by those who are affected by this problem and who have donated their time in an effort to raise public awareness regarding the negative effects this problem has caused the lakefront communities located around New Jersey’s largest lake.

Come to the Save Lake Hopatcong Rally!
Sunday, June 14, 2009, 10am
Kabob’s at the Northwood Inn
300 Lakeside Avenue
Glasser, NJ, 07837

For directions to Kabob’s, please click here.