Mountain Lakes Environmental Commission

Meeting Minutes

July 6, 2005

Meeting called to order: 7:40

Attending: Laurel Durenberger, Paul Shorb, Ray Rogers, Murray Robertson, Tom Carr, Todd Terhune, Jeana Macleod. Guest: Phil Notestine.

Administrative:

June meeting minutes approved with minor changes.

Budget:

Paul reported on the EC budget. EC asked whether the money budgeted but not spent this year on goose culling could be used elsewhere by the EC. Gary Webb said the Borough had already re-absorbed that budgeted money for other purposes.

Memberships:

A recent solicitation from the Passaic Valley Groundwater Protection Committee was discussed.  Gary Webb explained why we should remain a member of the Whippany Watershed committee.

• Action: Jeana will ask Gary & Ellen Emr whether we should join the Passaic Valley Groundwater Protection Committee.

Tree Protection Ordinance:

Paul reviewed Council’s adoption of the ordinance. Compliance probably would be assisted by educating tree companies, as Shade Tree had previously planned to do. (Borough marquee today also mentions it.)

• Action: Tom will ask Heather on the STC about any education/outreach plans and possible EC support.

Deer:

Phil noted that the bowhunting season embraces September through February. He advised that bag limits per bowhunter are high enough that we don’t need to get a community-based deer culling permit from NJDEP to support herd reduction this winter through bow hunting.

Hess Service Station:

Paul summarized the May 26 letter from NJDEP to Amerada Hess Corp., copy sent to the Borough. Based on the location of the station downgradient from our nearby drinking water well, it seems that Parsippany rather than Mountain Lakes is the local jurisdiction that ought to be concerned about whether Hess and NJDEP are moving quickly enough to plan and begin remediation (a layer of petroleum 1 foot thick was found floating on top of the water table in the most recent sampling, last October).

• Action: Paul ask Gary to (a) ask Hess for a copy of the Remedial Action Workplan Addendum referenced in the letter, and (b) check with NJDEP whether Parsippany got that letter.

Gulf Service Station:

Murray noted that there are groundwater-monitoring wells there, but no extraction wells. The two brothers that manage the station have given Gary Webb the runaround when he has requested more information about the apparent groundwater contamination problem. The fact that we have an air stripper on our nearby drinking water well does not necessarily protect us our drinking water from a gasoline plume. If necessary we should pay NJDEP for a copy of the latest report.

• Action: Gary Webb will ask the NJDEP case manager for the latest report on the investigation of the subsurface contamination.

Woodlands Committee report: Phil reported that purple loosestrife is now growing widely over the dam between Crystal and Sunset Lakes that was rebuilt a few years ago. The WC may try to get DPW to pull it out. Martha and others on the WC are pulling garlic mustard out on the hill. The WC still wants to set up some deer “exclosures”, using money it hops to raise from voluntary contributions.

Website:

The EC expressed its frustration in not be able to re-style and update the EC webpages. Tom reported again that Website Committee has not been responsive. Paul suggested that henceforth he put each of his requests to the Website Committee in writing via email and copy all members of the EC. That we way can give the Website Committee a chance, but if that seems not to be working, we will build a record to support EC direct management of its own website, as Tom has advocated.

• Action: Tom will this week email Emily Wolfe, with copy to all EC members, his request for website access and status.
• Action: Paul will check website list of EC members for accuracy.

Meeting adjourned about 9:00 p.m.