With the goal to ensure North Jersey’s major source of drinking water is preserved, legislation (A-3804) sponsored by Assembly Democrats John McKeon (D-Essex, Morris), Nancy Pinkin (D-Middlesex) and Thomas Giblin (D-Essex, Passaic) received final legislative approval on Monday, passing the full Assembly 73-0. The bill would dedicate $500,000 in revenue from vessel registration and renewal fees annually to a new “New Jersey Greenwood Lake Fund” established within the Department of Environmental Protection.
The measure was approved by the Senate in June 2018, 40-0.
The bill’s sponsors released the following joint statement:
“Greenwood Lake is an incredibly important environmental resource for our state. Not only does it feed into the Monksville and Wanaque Reservoir, which supplies drinking water to 3.5 million North Jersey residents, but the lake is also a popular destination for a variety of outdoor activities like fishing, kayaking, swimming and boating. The funds allocated under this bill will ensure the bi-state Greenwood Lake Commission has the resources it needs to improve the lake’s water quality by studying factors like sediment depth, shoreline erosion and encroachment of vegetation, as well as support other projects to keep Greenwood Lake beautiful. We must take care of our environment to build a safe, healthy and sustainable future for New Jersey.”