Borough of Mountain Lakes

Lakes Management Committee

February 2003 Issues

 

Review of 2002 Goals:

1) Continue current successful lake treatment program.

2) Analyze five year plan.  Discussion: some of the issues for the future; the feasibility of some public requests.

3) Look for long term management solutions/successes.

4) Continue to focus public awareness on the importance and fragility of our lakes.  Discussion of holding H&S inserts to half the months.  Use Borough Newsletter, Web site, other media as available.

5) Committee membership/leadership.

 

Committee to make suggestions at next meeting.

 

Discussion of the Phosphorus meeting sponsored by Rutgers in Bordentown 2/26.

 

Borough Manager:

*Reviewed Canal brush clearance by the Club.

*Cleaning up Canal:  There will be 5 points of entry to the rest of the Canal for material removal.  Damming both ends and removing the water, November 2003.

*Dam repair at Crystal Lake 90% done.

*Waiting for DEP approval for the changed plan for the Birchwood dam.  Discussion of planting options.

*Work to be done on the Wildwood spillway to reduce leakage.

*Birchwood Dock D to be completed this spring.

*Expression of appreciation by a Grunden's Pond landowner for the improvements made.

* Lakes Management budget 2003 $52,000.

 

Allied Biological:

(Allied Biological is Mountain Lakes’ lakes management services provider.)

* Review of the Northeast Aquatic Plant Management Conference.  Presentation topics:

            Use of the herbicide Reward.  There is a very large safety margin above the level of use in Mountain Lakes.

http://msucares.com/pubs/infosheets/is1556.htm

Neither Mountain Lakes nor Allied Biological endorses these sites.  They are provided for ease of research only.

            Use of weevils for milfoil control: still spotty and unreliable.

            Plant replacement program to reintroduce desirable plants.

            How to use early Spring treatments for Curly Leaf Pond Weed.

            The effectiveness of low dose alum treatments.  Need more data to evaluate such low dose programs.  Alum treatments are one of the key programs in Mountain Lakes.

            New herbicide reviewed.  Selective to dicotyledonous plants and Allied will be trying it on Purple Loosestrife, though not yet in Mountain Lakes.  For more facts on Purple Loosestrife, an invasive, non-native, plant, see:

http://www.nps.gov/plants/alien/fact/lysa1.htm and http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/1999/loosstrf/loosstrf.htm

Neither Mountain Lakes nor Allied Biological endorses these sites.  They are provided for ease of research only.

 

Allied has applied for its 2003 permits.

 

Old Business:

* The Borough Council has heard unanimous recommendations from the Health Commission, Environment Commission, and Lakes Management Committee, and has placed goose control in the budget.