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Tuesday

April 13, 2010

PRC To Honor Environmental Heroes at Annual Meeting

Riverdale, New Jersey

BLOOMINGDALE REZONING (Bloomingdale, New Jersey)
Statement of the Pequannock River Coalition on Proposed Rezoning in Bloomingdale Borough

As you know, the Borough of Bloomingdale is considering sweeping revisions to its current zoning. A great deal of the debate over these revisions has centered on the "Horse Farm" tract where the proposed changes would permit 300-500 new units in an active-adult community. This development has been billed as a tremendous tax benefit since the project will produce additional revenue without adding children to the borough's schools. Another recommended rezoning and one that has received far less attention, is a proposal for higher density in the Macopin Road area.

The Pequannock River Coalition actively opposes both these rezoning proposals since we are certain they will degrade water quality and increase flooding in the Pequannock River watershed. We also believe supporters of these proposals have repeatedly advertised the potential gains while ignoring negative impacts and implications.

Flooding is a very serious problem for many Borough residents, particularly in the Van Dam Avenue area. The principal cause of all flooding in the Borough is stormwater runoff during heavy rainfalls. To prevent this flooding from growing worse the Borough's number one priority should be limiting new impervious coverage - roads, buildings and parking lots - particularly in sensitive areas such as steeply sloped land, flood plains and wetlands.

With this in mind the Pequannock River Coalition has devoted thousands of volunteer hours to opposing the development of Federal Hill. The proposal for this tract is to construct 360 townhouse on steeply sloped land containing extensive wetlands and flood plain areas. The result of such development will be increased flooding and degradation of water quality in the adjacent Pequannock River and river tributaries. Until recently we believed our objections were supported by Borough officials. Now, however, the Borough seems poised to abandon that position.Why do we say this?

The environmental constraints on the "Horse Farm" tract are very similar to Federal Hill, including a PA-5 designation, steep slopes, extensive wetlands and flood plain areas. Even worse, the Horse Farm is outside the Borough's designated "Town Center" and beyond the current sewer service area. So, by authorizing even higher density development on the Horse Farm tract than is being proposed for Federal Hill the Borough will abandon any real hope of defeating the development of Federal Hill. Clearly, rezoning the Horse Farm puts a stamp of approval on similar developments with similar constraints. This includes Federal Hill and all other environmentally sensitive areas in the Borough.

In addition other changes proposed for the Macopin Road area will increase housing densities on many lots there by 600%. Our analysis shows up to 44 new homes and 35 garden apartments could conceivably be built there as a result. We should also point out that much of this land is steeply sloped and adjacent to the Pequannock River. Combining these new additions of impervious coverage with the development proposed for Federal Hill will greatly aggravate flooding in all the Borough's low-lying areas.

For this reason it is ludicrous for the Borough to seek state funding for a so-called "Flood Mitigation Plan". We ask why the State would reward a community that is working to increase its flooding problems? In fact, if these rezoning proposals are approved, available funding would be far better spent on rowboats for residents of Van Dam Ave.

We supplied this information to the Office of Emergency Management, not because we don't sympathize with flood-stricken residents but because we wish to see their flooding reduced. It is the Borough officials who support this rezoning that have turned a blind eye to flooding problems.

We must also note that the supposed tax benefits of the active-adult community will be more than offset by the damage it creates. Since this rezoning will insure the development of Federal Hill, the townhouses there are certain to put 500-700 new students into Borough schools at an annual tax cost of $5-$7 million dollars. The new homes and apartments on Macopin Road may throw another 100 students into the mix at an additional cost of $1 million dollars. Last, but not least, given the enormous wave of age-restricted development now sweeping our region if this market becomes overbuilt these age-restricted units may be forced to drop their age restrictions adding another 600-1000 children to the Bloomingdale school system.

When all these points are carefully considered we believe it is clear to any thinking person that the proposed rezoning is a poor idea and a costly mistake for Bloomingdale residents.

WEBER TRACT (Kinnelon, New Jersey)

The 164-acre "Weber Tract", north of Kinnelon Road in Kinnelon, is the target of a re-zoning plan to allow 150 units of high density housing. This plan means major problems for the Pequannock. Why?

Those familiar with the lower Pequannock River know it suffers from vastly reduced flows in summer months or at times of low rainfall. A direct result of these low flows is high river temperatures. Data we collected through our monitoring program shows temperatures approaching and on some occasions exceeding the lethal limit for the river's wild trout. A stream traversing the Weber tract, though small, contributes substantial flows even during drought periods and initial temperature monitoring there shows temperatures 8-10 degrees lower than the Pequannock mainstem. It's certain that intensive development of this property will degrade these tributary flows and elevate their temperature, a change that could push river temperatures beyond recovery.

In addition the Weber Tract is composed of steep, heavily wooded slopes descending to the river. Such land is ill suited to dense development and prone to elevated runoff and high erosion when disturbed. The same level of development at the nearby "Kinnelon Ridge" sent torrents of mud flowing into the Pequannock. So what can we expect from a similar project here? The tract also contains exceptional resource value wetlands and documented vernal pools, areas vital to groundwater recharge and sustaining summer river flows.

For these reasons we are actively opposing this re-zoning. Check our calendar and newsletter for updates and information on how you can help

WEBER TRACT UPDATE 9-21-2002

We are sorry to report that on September 19th the Kinnelon Mayor and Council – some say, predictably – voted to pass the ordinance rezoning the Weber Tract for high-density housing by amargin of 5-1. This was based on a weak recommendation from the Planning Board that was passed on 9/12 by a 4-3 vote.

That said, we’d like to applaud the many speakers at this meeting who explained so eloquently why this tract must be protected. Despite an obvious attempt by the pro-development forces to fill the audience with supporters they were far outnumbered by opponents to this plan. Friends of the Pequannock included many Kinnelon residents, with a number of conservation groups well-represented by Wilma Frey of the Highlands Coalition, Dennis Miranda of New JerseyConservation Foundation, and Bill O’Hearn of the Passaic River Coalition. Our efforts were aided financially by Express Graphics, NJCF, the Morris Land Conservancy and the Passaic River Coalition who generously donated toward mailing costs our town-wide alert. We are also particularly grateful to out-of-town citizens, officials and volunteers like Cathy McCartney of the Mountain Preservation Society, West Milford Councilman Andy Gargano and Agust Gudmundson of Trout Unlimited who drove long distances after a hard day’s work just to speak on this important issue. Frankly I have never heard better arguments put forth in opposition to any development and if the decision had been based on facts we would have won, hands down. Unfortunately it was not.

Instead Kinnelon officials had either been hoodwinked by the developers’ promises or simply chose to ignore reality. For example, they stated on the record that Kinnelon’s steep slope ordinance would be upheld on this site, yet the ordinance they passed directly violates the borough’s steep slope protections.

However, there is still good news in that the Weber Tract is what it is; a steep, forested, wetlands-riddledHighlands property adjoining two C1 waterways. Developing it will require a number of approvals from the NJDEP and considering the State’s increased focus on C1 waterways and watershed protection—combined with the degradation this project can cause—we have solid grounds to insist these approvals are withheld. Any development on this land will be forced to proceed under the strictest and most expensive guidelines. Will there still be enough profit to sustain it? In addition the Borough’s rash action makes them vulnerable to lawsuits on several issues. So in summary, the battle is far from over.

We’ll keep you posted. Look for updates on this topic in the coming months.

FEDERAL HILL (Bloomingdale, New Jersey)

As one of the last large tracts of undeveloped land in the lower Pequannock Watershed, Federal Hill is important to the river's health. Several small tributaries including Van Dam brook have their source on this rugged, forested tract providing cold clean flows critical in summer months. Through the efforts of the Bloomingdale Environmental Commission this tract has been designated as a "Planning Area 5" or environmentally sensitive area.

Unfortunately a development of 360 townhouses has been proposed for this site. Much of this development would occur on steep slopes. Combined with intense coverage by roads and rooftops and an inadequate stormwater management system the result will be vastly degraded water quality in the river and its tributaries.

If you'd like to get involved with our efforts to defeat this proposal, we urge you to attend upcoming Planning Board meetings in Bloomingdale. Dates are listed on our calendar. For more information, please review our newsletter or drop us a line.

CELL TOWERS (West Milford, New Jersey)

Cell towers today are a fact of life, but the position of the Pequannock River Coalition is that there are places these towers don't belong. One example was a tower recently proposed by PCS/Sprint for NJDOT property on the shoulder of Kanouse Mountain near the Charlottesburg Rest Area in West Milford.

Those familiar with this area know Kanouse Mountain as one of the finest scenic vistas in the watershed. In addition the low slot carved between Kanouse Mountain and Copperas Mountain by the Pequannock River forms a bird-migration corridor not unlike the famed Delaware Water Gap. According to a recent study, such towers are more of a threat "for faster flying birds such as waterfowl or shorebirds…" Given the extensive wetlands, rivers streams, reservoirs, ponds and lakes near this site there was genuine cause for concern. For these reasons we opposed this project, and thanks to similar opposition by the West Milford Mayor and Council the proposal was defeated.

We will continue to review new tower proposals in our area for aesthetic and environmental impacts and alert our friends and members whenever action is necessary.

NEW CELL TOWER PROPOSED FOR KANOUSE MOUNTAIN 1-4-2003

It has come to our attention that another cell tower has been proposed for a site on Kanouse Mountain in West Milford near Wooley Road. We are currently reviewing this proposal for its potential impact on scenic vistas, bird migration corridors or other problems. Please check back for an update and more details.

GOLF COURSE DEVELOPMENT (West Milford, New Jersey)

STATEMENT OF THE PEQUANNOCK RIVER COALITION ON PROPOSAL FOR "ALGONQUIN WATERS" GOLF COURSE REDEVELOPMENT PLAN BY THE TOWNSHIP OF WEST MILFORD

In 2001 the Township of West Milford unveiled their plans for a "redevelopment zone" on 466 acres of town-owned property. Through partnership with a Mr. Len Miller they proposed a golf course and conference center for this land, located near the intersection of Echo Lake Road and Macopin Road.

Since this forested tract contains high-quality wetlands, habitat for threatened and endangered wildlife and several trout production waterways we saw this site as a very poor choice for a golf course. We were also alarmed by attempts to breach the Watershed Moratorium Act by re-zoning portions of the City of Newark's watershed holdings for commercial development and a road access to the golf course site. In addition, we stated our enormous concern over the proposed diversion of 45,000,000 gallons of water from Echo Lake for golf course irrigation.

The main issue with the proposed irrigation diversion is the impact on flow levels in that segment of the Pequannock River below the Macopin Reservoir outlet and Echo Lake. Our analysis (see table below) has shown that current flow rates in this river segment are in a status of "severe degradation" 4 days out of every 10 with a total annual water deficit of approximately 290 million gallons. The result of these inadequate flows has been very high water temperatures in this river reach. Obviously removing 45 million gallons of water from this system will aggravate these conditions and is likely to trigger a fish-kill.

Faced with these actions and implications we formally opposed this project, and presented our reasons and evidence to the West Milford mayor and council. Three members of the council - Ms. Harkey, Mr. Gargano and Mr. Szuszkowski - responded in March 2002 by passing a resolution urging preservation of the tract in its natural state. A Green Acres purchase now seems possible. Please check the Pequannock Post and our calendar for action alerts and the latest information.

FLOW DATA
Table 3 represents an analysis and comparison of historical flow rate data recorded by the U.S. Geological Survey from October 1, 1993 to October 1, 1998. The stations selected for this report includes a waterway influenced by reservoir operations (Wanaque River) and one stream with unregulated flows (Ringwood Creek). Data in Table 3 include the name of the river or stream, the drainage area in square miles, the minimum flow calculated by the New England Method based on drainage area, the number/percentage of days that flows failed to meet this minimum, and the number/percentage of days that flows failed to meet 50% of this minimum. The gaging stations represented are:

Station Number	Station Name
01382500	Pequannock River at Macopin Intake
01384500	Ringwood Creek Near Wanaque NJ
01387000	Wanaque River At Wanaque NJ

As this table illustrates the lower Pequannock suffers a much greater level of dewatering or substandard flows than other waterways. At the minimum of 1/6 cfs per square mile the Pequannock falls below this threshold 4 times more often than other waterways, while at half this minimum or 1/12 cfs per square mile the count for the Pequannock is 14 times greater than the Wanaque River.

Table 3: Comparative Flows for period 10/1/1993 - 10/1/1997

River/Stream	Drainage Area	Minimum Flow of 1/6 cfs/sq. mile	Days (Percentage) < 1/6 cfs/sq. mile	Days (Percentage) < 1/12 cfs/sq. mile
Pequannock River	63.7 sq. miles	10.6 cfs	631 (43%)	406 (28%)
Ringwood Creek	19.1 sq. miles	3.2 cfs	158 (11%)	82 (6%)
Wanaque River	90.4 sq. miles	15.1 cfs	136 (9%)	36 (2%)

Geological Survey. Water Resources Data for New Jersey. United States Department of the Interior, Geological Survey. Washington, DC

April 21, 2002 - The Pequannock River Coalition joined with the Adirondack Mountain Club, the Appalachian Mountain Club and the Highlands Coalition for a hike through one of the most scenic areas in New Jersey which is now threatened by this golf course development...more

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