Greenwood Lake bill could create $500,000 annual fund

WEST MILFORD — State legislators have introduced a bill that calls for $500,000 annually from New Jersey's boat registration fees to go toward the preservation of Greenwood Lake.

The bill, S-2167, comes on the heels of recently-enacted legislation that dedicates $500,000 in state powerboat license fees for protection, preservation and enhancement at Lake Hopatcong. The bill’s sponsor, state Republican Senator Joseph Pennacchio, who represents parts of Essex, Morris and Passaic counties, said it is only fair for the state to provide similar funding for Greenwood Lake.

The 1,900-acre lake is open year-round for public recreation and is the headwaters for the Monksville and Wanaque reservoirs serving an estimated 3.5 million North Jersey residents daily.

"It's not just a Passaic County issue," Pennacchio said Thursday. "The burden should not fall all on Passaic County and West Milford. This is state property. The state should take on its responsibility.”

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Lake Hopatcong and Greenwood Lake have a lot in common, as the largest and second largest home-lined lakes in New Jersey. Both are home to annual powerboat races, harbor hundreds of tourists on summer weekends, and struggle with invasive weeds fed by elevated concentrations of phosphorous flowing from residential runoff.

Paul Zarrillo, the New Jersey chairman of the bi-state Greenwood Lake Commission, said he is hopeful they will one day receive similar treatment.

“We are very optimistic going forward that we have a good chance of passing this bill,” Zarrillo said. “It will take a concerted effort by all concerned parties but … I do believe we will make this happen.”

While the new Lake Hopatcong Fund taps into revenue generated by $18 boat license fees, the Greenwood Lake Fund would establish a $500,000 annual funding source from New Jersey’s vessel registration and renewal fees, which range from $13 to $251.

The bill would require all funding be used solely to benefit the New Jersey end of the 7-mile-long lake. If the benefit goes beyond the border, the bill requires matching funding from New York State.

The bill, which is co-sponsored by Sen. Nellie Pou (D-Bergen and Passaic), was introduced Monday and referred to the Senate Environment and Energy Committee.

Pennacchio, also a primary sponsor of the Lake Hopatcong bill, said he hopes the Greenwood Lake bill does not stay in committee review for long. While that bill passed without opposition, it was difficult getting the proposal to the senate floor for a vote this past fall, he said.

"We're making our phone calls, but we've been dealing with funding for Greenwood Lake every since I've been in the legislature," said Pennacchio, a 10-year state senator and former assemblyman.

Despite its status among locals, boat racers, and fishermen, Greenwood Lake generates little interest outside the bi-state Greenwood Lake Commission, said Terry Duffy, a Democratic Passaic County freeholder from West Milford.

Unlike Lake Hopatcong, Greenwood Lake’s legislatively-created commission does not have an accompanying nonprofit foundation to cover water quality improvement costs. The local government and county provide financial assistance to the commission, as do their New York State counterparts.

In the New Jersey end of Greenwood Lake, West Milford Township runs the floating weed trimmers at a cost of up to $20,000 a year, said Tim Wagner, town council president. The state runs and funds Lake Hopatcong’s weed harvesting operation.

Since it was first formed 16 years ago, the Greenwood Lake Commission has made a lot of progress “with very little resources,” Duffy said. Last year, the commission executed its first major project in years with an $84,000 state grant used to remove dangerous stumps rooted in the bottom of the man-made lake near Fox Island.

The commission’s continued guile spurred the freeholder board to increase its annual contribution to the Greenwood Lake Commission from $20,000 to $30,000 this year, Duffy said.

More money is needed for the lake, but “we can’t put the burden on the whole county,” Duffy said. As it stands, Passaic County's 2018 budget is due to increase by nearly 2 percent.

“We’re not asking for $500,000 this year, just something to jump-start us,” Duffy said.

West Milford Township officials have already backed the creation of a Greenwood Lake fund to match Lake Hopatcong’s. However, Wagner said a resolution in support of the new bill is almost inevitable.

“This legislation is long overdue. We need the aid,” Wagner said.

Like many locals, Wagner has been against reviving a proposal to generate revenue for lake management by charging recreational boaters fees to use the lake.

The charges, which would have been levied on boats according to size, were approved by state legislators in both states. However, the bills failed to match and were never enacted. A subsequent effort to collect the fees as donations failed.

Wagner said the reliance on local marina owners to help administer the user fee program, the lack of fees at comparable lakes such as Lake Hopatcong, and the impact on lakefront residents are all reasons to hope this new bill progresses in Trenton.