Issues

To all:
The article below on recent problems in the Pequannock appeared in the Star Ledger. Although the City of Newark says they have been "very vigilant with checking the temperature, especially on hot days" that was clearly not the case, or we would not have experienced these problems.
Also, the article fails to point out that the City of Newark does not have the final say on the Pequannock. Instead, it is the State of New Jersey, and ultimately all the citizens of New Jersey who “own” the Pequannock and control its destiny.

We will be looking to the state to correct these problems with new permit conditions soon.

Thanks!
Ross Kushner, Executive Director

Water release cools down the Pequannock River
http://www.nj.com/news/local/index.ssf/2009/08/water_release_cools_down_the_p.html
By Sarah Schillaci For The Star-Ledger
After a steamy weekend threatened the health of the population of brown trout in the Pequannock River, the Pequannock River Coalition and Newark Watershed Conservation and Development Corporation are working to ensure the river stays cool.
Brown trout cannot survive in waters hotter than 80 degrees, said Ross Kushner, executive director of the Pequannock River Coalition. On Sunday, as air temperatures escalated over 90 degrees, the river water reached 79 degrees.
"I hit the panic button," Kushner said. "If something hadn’t happened I would have had a river of dead trout."
The crisis was averted by Monday morning when Newark released cooler water, but Kushner said the situation indicated a need for communication between the two entities overseeing the waterway.
For the past 12 years, the Newark Watershed has been obligated by the state Department of Environmental Protection to release cold water from the bottom of two of its reservoirs to regulate the temperature of the river. The Newark Watershed controls a five-mile-long section of the river, as well as the Oak Ridge and Charlottesburg reservoirs.
Water can leave the reservoirs either by flowing over the top of the spillway or being released from the valves at the bottom of the reservoir. Water from the bottom of the reservoir is about 55 degrees, Kushner said, while surface water can be as warm as 88 degrees. The rainy summer has caused more warm water to flow into the river.
Linda Brashear, executive director of the Newark Watershed, said there was "usually some controversy" between the two entities regarding the release of water into the river. Still, she said she tried to balance the rights of the citizens of Newark and the interest of advocates the Pequannock River.
Brashear said Newark Watershed officials were "very vigilant with checking the temperature, especially on hot days."
Kushner met with Newark authorities Monday and Tuesday to work out a solution for the problem, and by Monday afternoon saw a 10-degree decrease in temperature in the water. He also received the cell phone number of a staff member in Newark to reach in case of a weekend emergency.
A final agreement on how to regulate the temperature had not been hashed out between the two groups, but Kushner was hopeful that trout would remain safe the rest of this summer.
"Going forward, Newark will be more responsive," Kushner said.