Greenwood Lake in West Milford has been closed because of a toxic algae bloom. Greenwood Lake joins a growing list of lakes in the state that have either been closed to swimming and water sports or placed under advisories because of algae blooms. The Greenwood Lake Commission posted notices this week. Three West Milford beaches on the lake have been shut down, and people have been urged not to have any contact with water.

“Greenwood Lake is the latest New Jersey lake to be closed because of toxic algae. This again shows the alarming spread of algae problems around the state.  Greenwood Lake is one of our largest recreational lakes, and now people can’t even use it. What’s even worse in Greenwood Lake is that the lake is a backup reservoir that feeds into the Monksville and Wanaque reservoirs. Wells in the area get their water out of the lake. Belcher’s Creek, which feeds into Greenwood Lake, was also investigated for an algae bloom late last month. Toxic algae in Greenwood Lake directly affects our drinking water, and it’s going to get worse,” ,” said Jeff Tittel, director of the New Jersey Sierra Club. “We’ve never seen algae this bad across the state, and we’re not even in August yet. We’re going to see more beaches and swimming areas closed.”

Freshwater Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs) are formed from bacteria carried in by nutrients primarily from septics and lawn and garden fertilizer. The algae can cause severe skin rashes. If swallowed the polluted water can cause abdominal pain, headaches and vomiting. Pets should also be kept away from water where the algae blooms are present.

“This is turning into the summer of closed swimming areas. Greenwood Lake joins a long and growing list of lakes that have either been shut down or placed under advisory because of algae blooms. Lake Hopatcong has been shut down for nearly 4 weeks because of algae blooms that could last all summer. There’s been no swimming in the Spruce Run reservoir nearly all season. Swartswood Lake and Rosedale Lake in Mercer County have also been closed. This is the direct result of the failure to implement proper watershed protections and stormwater management. Overdevelopment and stormwater runoff are bringing more nutrients into the water, turning lakes into algae-polluted soups,” said Tittel.

Greenwood Lake is a 7-mile long lake that extends into Orange County, N.Y. It is managed by the bi-state Greenwood Lake Commission. New York officials are conducting tests in their part of the lake to see if the algae bloom has extended that far. Three West Milford beaches on the lake have been closed because of the algae.

“Greenwood Lake’s problems are magnified by a weak commission responsible for lake management. The commission, like the Lake Hopatcong Commission, is toothless because it doesn’t deal with land use and stormwater issues. New York has a strong program to go after HABs and lake management rules. New Jersey should examine the models of the Lake George Commission in New York, and the Lake Tahoe Commission in California, that have real power to protect their water,” said Tittel.

The Murphy Administration has failed to reverse 8 years of Gov. Christie’s rollbacks that have led to increased pollution and overdevelopment. Those rollbacks weakened protections for stormwater, allowed development in environmentally sensitive areas that impacts water quality, and reduced protections for streams and stream buffers.

“Greenwood Lake closing in the middle of the summer again shows the failure to protect and clean up our waterways. The Murphy administration has not moved forward with watershed protections and reversing Christe-era rollbacks. We need to establish stream buffers and enforce real Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) standards that limit pollutants in our lakes. We need to toughen rules on stormwater management and bring back Septic Management Districts. We also need to reduce overdevelopment in environmentally sensitive areas,” said Jeff TIttel, director of the New Jersey Sierra Club. “Our lakes are in a growing crisis. We need to act fast before the damage becomes irreversible.”