Greenwood Lake wins grant to enhance water quality

On Tuesday, August 27 State Senator James Skoufis (D-42) presented a check for $155,000 to Greenwood Lake officials as part of the Community Resiliency, Economic Sustainability, and Technology Program, to support Greenwood Lake’s continuing effort to enhance the quality of the lake and combat invasive plant species.

“Thanks to Senator Skoufis’s diligent efforts, we have secured a generous grant of $155,000. This funding will be instrumental in enhancing the quality of our lake and public safety. Specifically, it will allow us to purchase a new small weed harvester to tackle the growth in the arms of the lake and SCUBA equipment for our police department,” remarked Mayor Tom Howley.

In December 2022, the New Jersey State Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) announced that the Greenwood Lake Commission would receive a $1 million grant for water quality improvement projects. The DEP awarded grants to local government agencies, nonprofit groups, universities and others to fund projects that will improve water quality and reduce the impacts of nonpoint-source pollution from stormwater on publicly accessible lakes.

Weed harvesting uses hydro-raking technology, essentially an “excavator mounted to a floating barge,” according to the Greenwood Lake Commission. A rake attachment at the end of the excavator arm is used to scoop up plants along with their roots and deposit them on shore for removal to another location and proper disposal. The weed harvester that the Village will now acquire is smaller in size, to enable users to navigate more confined areas, especially the north arm of the lake, which is just north of the Route 17A bridge overpass.

Weed harvesting is part of a larger initiative to maintain or enhance lake quality that involves addressing harmful algal blooms, water chestnut growth, and other invasive plants that can rob the lake of oxygen and redirect it toward eutrofication, caused by an increase in runoff from fertilizer nutrients and other sources. Chemical applications, oxygenation techniques, and weed harvesting together have been used in recent years to slow down the accumulation of nutrients in the lake, to increase oxygen levels, and to enhance the navigable channels.

“When taken together these resources will significantly improve our community’s environment and safety measures support,” added Howley.