Lake Hopatcong Algae Getting Worse Again

According to NJDEP testing conducted on August 21, 2019, Hopatcong State Park Algae bloom levels increased to 45,000 cells/mL compared to last week’s count at 18,374 cells/mL. Word Port Bay also saw an increase at 60,250 cells/mL compared to last week’s count at 17,250 cells/mL. Algae levels at East of Davis Cove Mid-Lake, S.E of State Park Beach, Prospect Point, Mouth of Wood Port Bay, Bertrand Island saw decreases in cyanobacteria levels, however they remained higher than NJ Heath Guidance Levels.

“Some areas at Lake Hopatcong that were opened last week are now closed. Algae levels spiked almost 4 times last week’s count at the State Park and at Wood Port Bay. This shows that conditions at Lake Hopatcong are backsliding.  Even though cyanobacteria counts have dropped in some areas, they are still above the health advisory levels, and can cause serious problems to people, their pets, and wildlife. The status of our lakes are still bad, and DEP has yet to make any progress on cleaning up and protecting our lakes and reservoirs. As we are getting towards the end of summer, our lakes still have serious problems,” said Jeff Tittel, Director of the New Jersey Sierra Club.

According to NJDEP testing and sampling of Greenwood Lakes Harmful Algal Bloom (HAB) yesterday, all areas of the lake have indicated levels of Cyanobacteria Counts cells/mL at levels higher than the NJ Health Guidance Levels. Cove Beach at Lake Lenape in Atlantic County is off limits because of high algae bloom. The Manasquan Reservoir in Howell remains closed due to toxic algae. DEP recently lifted advisories for 6 beaches along Lake Hopatcong, however the remaining areas of the lake are still impacted by the algae.

“From one part of the state to the other, algae blooms are impacted our lakes, beaches, and reservoirs. Even though DEP lifted advisories for some beaches at Lake Hopatcong, we still have a long way to go to clean up the entire lake. What’s even worse is that as we see improvement in some lakes, a new lake falls to algae blooms. Lake Lenape, the Manasquan Reservoir, Greenwood Lake, and more are still impacted by cyanobacteria. We will continue to see more of our reservoirs, lakes and beaches closed unless DEP step up and do their job,” said Tittel.  

On Tuesday, people packed into the Lake Mohawk Country Club for a public forum on the algae issue.  Speakers were environmental officials and town officials. Topics ranged from fixing stormwater utilities, “rain tax”, and concerns of politicians dancing around the issue. State Sen. Joseph Pennacchio has challenged the need to close Lake Hopatcong and other New Jersey lakes because of recent toxic algae blooms. Pennacchio said New Jersey’s health standards for algae in water are too strict, especially in contrast with other states.

“While people are going to country clubs and just talking or politicians downplaying the problem, they are taking the focus away from DEP doing their job. Stormwater utilities will help in the long term, but out of the 10 major things the state needs to do to clean up the lake, it’s on the bottom. DEP need to establish stream buffers and enforce real Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) standards that limit pollutants in our lakes. We need tougher rules on stormwater management and bring back Septic Management Districts. We also need to reduce overdevelopment and sprawl in environmentally sensitive areas,” said Tittel. “We need a holistic and integrated approach by communities, towns and the state. It will take political will to fund cleaning up stormwater and better management of the lake.”

In North Carolina, 3 dogs have died due to the same bacteria that has shut down swimming at several New Jersey lakes this summer. A NC resident brought her dogs to the lake to swim, shortly after they started to seize and died three hours later. The lake had blue-green algae, also known as cyanobacteria.

“There are politicians that say they should we should ignore advisories, however this is why these warnings are real. There are consequences from having blue- green algae in our lakes here and in North Carolina. Unfortunately, in North Carolina, three dogs died after being exposed to water with cyanobacteria in it.  Even Commissioner McCabe said advisories are only a recommendation. This should be a warning to the state of New Jersey that what happened there could happen here. We may not have the same strain of algae, but we need to take this seriously. It’s not just about not being able to swim, potential effects can have serious and fatal impacts to our pets and wildlife.” said Tittel.

According to the Washington Post, New Jersey is one of the fastest-warming states in the nation. Its average temperature has climbed by close to 2 degrees Celsius since 1895 — double the average for the Lower 48 states.  Nine miles long, Lake Hopatcong sits between two counties — Sussex and Morris — in the state’s northwest. Both have been warming fast, especially in winter.

“While people are talking about climate change, it is getting worse. New Jersey is one of top areas for warming, heat, and runoff and it has already had a serious impact on water quality. Lake Hopatcong is a prime example, it has seen the highest increase in temperature, at 3%, in the nation. We need to do something about it instead of just talking about it,” said Jeff Tittel, Director of the New Jersey Sierra Club. “Last week things were better than this week. It’s a sign of the mood of the weather, however we should not rely on nature to clean up the lake. We need DEP to do their job, they need to reverse Christie’s rollbacks, restore the state’s lake management program, and deal with phosphorous.”