Opponents fear removing dam will infest Greenwood Lake with weeds

Greenwood Lake - New Jersey’s Department of Environmental Protection is planning to remove an earthen dam from West Milford Lake, despite concerns that doing so could have an adverse affect on the area such as stimulating weed growth in Greenwood Lake. The state’s environmental agency is stepping in to take responsibility for the dam due to its state of disrepair and, as the department believes, to prevent potential flooding in the local community. “If the dam were to fail, there would be serious public safety issues,” said Karen Hershey of the DEP. The environmental agency is currently in the process of preparing funding for the project which it hopes will take place this summer. One of the biggest fears of breaching the dam is that an increased flow of phosphorus and other potentially damaging elements will leach into Greenwood Lake stimulating weed growth there. Both West Milford and Greenwood Lake organizations have worked tirelessly to eradicate the weed problem in the lake and to improve conditions for sailing to residents and visitors. “There are sediments running down from West Milford Lake into Belchers Creek that lead to Greenwood Lake,” said Steve DeFeo, who represents New York and is chairman of the Greenwood Lake Commission. “The dam provides a place for some of those sediments to settle out. Sixty percent of pollutants that enter into Greenwood Lake come from Belchers Creek.” Hershey admitted she was aware of some of these concerns; however, she said she was confident the DEP’s actions would provide improvement rather than problems for the community. “The feeling we have is that removal of the dam will improve water quality in Greenwood Lake,” Hershey said. “It will allow cooler water with a higher oxygen content to enter into the lake. “We believe there will be no adverse environmental impact as a result of the removal of this dam,” she added. Among those opposing these plans are the Greenwood Lake Commission, which includes representatives from both New York State and New Jersey and seeks to protect the natural and recreational resources of the lake. “The commission has expressed various reservations with regard to sediment going down stream from West Milford Lake,” said Paul Zarrillo, one of West Milford’s representatives on the commission, Another of those concerns is the removal of a source of water for firefighters. “By letting that water flow off into Greenwood Lake there will also be the removal of a place for our fire department needs to pump water from a lake in the area in the event of a fire,” he added. Former West Milford Councilman James Warden, who is among the people who has fought hardest to maintain environmental and weed-free conditions for Greenwood Lake, is against the DEP’s plan. “It’s a very unfortunate situation,” said Warden. “Any time you breach a dam in a lake community it can’t be a good thing. It seems like the DEP have no option but to take action. It’s a situation where the lake community isn’t organized enough to repair the dam.” Warden also believes breaching the dam will cause the entire eco-system in the lake to be affected and will create an unsightly mess in its wake. “It’s going to be a swamp,” Warden added. “That can’t be good for the town and especially for the homeowners in the area.”