LAKE , from Page 1 town hall on April 11 . The meeting saw the committee discussing their 2023 goals and providing updates for each goal .
For the committee reports , there were no reports from the Parks and Recreation and Environmental Commissions as well as the Great Egg Harbor Watershed Association as their meetings will be held later this month .
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The committee then began their old business reports with the 2023 committee goal updates , which started with monitoring the Hammonton Lake herbicide application . Committee member Dwight Baldwin met with Town of Hammonton Public Works Manager Robert Vettese about whether the application has been submitted , to which Vettese did not know if it has been submitted .
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Vettese referred Baldwin to Public Works Department Head Scott Rivera , who will be working on the application and , according to Baldwin , recalled the conversation he had with Vettese about the process of the application .
“ When I was speaking with Mr . Vettese , he told me that the application first goes to the [ New Jersey ] Pinelands [ Commission ] ( NJPC ), which I did not know , and then it goes to the state . He said ‘ the whole thing could take up to three months and I don ’ t know that the application has been made .’ Pinelands could take probably the longest of all of the application process ,” Baldwin said .
Baldwin then contacted Rivera regarding whether the application was made along with several questions such as who will make the application and the response for each question was “ there is nothing new to report .” While each response was the same , Baldwin noted that throughout the conversation , Rivera “ sidelined himself ” and specified that the application is in the hands of the NJPC , New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection ( NJDEP ) and Rutgers University . Rivera also mentioned to Baldwin that the town council discussed the project of spraying the lake and that councilman Steven Furgione is aware of the project .
Wednesday , April 19 , 2023 • The Hammonton Gazette • Page 3
Lake Water Quality Committee outlines 2023 goals
There were no reports regarding the liaison with Stockton University and stormwater line cleaning goals . For public communication , committee chair Dan Bachalis is working with The Gazette on a piece about providing springtime tips regarding things going down storm water drains and fertilizing . Regarding the aquatic herbicide research group , Bachalis and committee member Bill Parkhurst researched on diquat and chemistry application guidelines as well as Bachalis providing basic information on diquat such as applying it and the long and short-term effects it ’ ll have on the water , plants and animals of all kinds .
For the Mullica River watershed planning goal , Bachalis met with members of the Galloway Township and Egg Harbor City Environmental Commissions as well as a member of the Jacques Cousteau Coastal Education Center at Margate , N . J .’ s Cherry Blossom Festival regarding their interest in the plan , to which Bachalis noted that they are interested . In meeting with the NJDEP regarding past grants on the plan that the grants deal with specific portions of different watersheds that are aimed at past identified problems such as too much phosphorus or other chemicals . The area of concern is
Hammonton Creek and that the area that the NJDEP reviewed was an area towards Nesco , N . J . and that Bachalis suggested Mullica Township and Hammonton drafting a plan to deal with the issues in the Nesco area , which can help eventually lead to them seeing the issues in Hammonton Lake .
“ In one way , a smaller scope to the grant than the whole Mullica River plan but in a way , it ’ s a little bit more targeted and it also gives us an opportunity to say ‘ well , maybe one of the problems with that area down there is Hammonton Lake so let ’ s do a full characterization of Hammonton Lake so we get a lot more data about our lake ’ and then also , we can deal with downstream effects down to Nesco and see if that idea would satisfy the DEP ,” Bachalis said .
Regarding monthly Hammonton Lake activity , Bachalis suggested to the committee to conduct a visual survey on the lake . Future committee meetings will also be held at the Hammonton Canoe Club , barring any scheduling conflicts , and conduct the survey there after their meetings .
Regarding Clean-Flo removal , the committee is working on addressing it with Mayor Stephen DiDonato and members of town
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