State Sen. Joseph Pennacchio has challenged the need to close Lake Hopatcong and other New Jersey lakes because of recent toxic algae blooms. Pennacchio said New Jersey’s health standards for algae in water are too strict, especially in contrast with other states. Lake Hopatcong is the largest recreational lake in the state, and has been closed to swimming and other water sports for a month. It is one of a growing list of lakes in New Jersey that have been closed this year to swimming and water sports because of massive algae blooms.

“Sen. Pennacchio and others are saying New Jersey’s health standards for toxic algae blooms are too strict, and lakes are closing unnecessarily. New Jersey’s standard of 20,000 cells per milliliter is recommended by the USDA and the World Health Organization. Many states follow the same standard, while many others are stricter. When the facts don’t fit Pennacchio’s agenda, he wants to change the facts. Testing and science show us the algae problem, which is why what he’s saying is both wrong and risky. Someone listening to Pennacchio could decide to ignore warnings, go swimming in Lake Hopatcong or other lakes that have been closed, and might get sick,” said Jeff Tittel, director of the New Jersey Sierra Club. “Sen. Pennacchio is putting people at risk by saying the state is unnecessarily closing Lake Hopatcong because of toxic algae.”

New Jersey considers an algae bloom hazardous once the cell count reaches 20,000 per milliliter. That’s the same level that triggers action in Connecticut, where Pennacchio said Lake Hopatcong would still be open. Other states have more strict algae standards. California’s is 8,000 cells per milliliter. New York is 12,500 for children, and 15,000 for adults. Some of the strictest standards include Indiana (4,000), Virginia (5,000) and Washington (6,000). Most of the Great Lakes states are 10,000.

“New Jersey’s standards are set to help protect public health, especially for swimmers and children. Many states set algae tandards that are much lower than NJ’s 20,000 cells of cyanobacteria per milliliter of water. Oregon goes as low as 3,000 cells per milliliter. Indiana is 4,000, Virginia is 5,000, and Washington 6,000. Illinois is 10,000. Vermont is 16,000 and less for children. Among our neighbors, New York’s standard is 12,500 for children, 15,000 for adults. Massachusetts is 14,000,” said Tittel. “Pennacchio cherry-picked Connecticut as an example of a state that supposedly had easier standards, but he didn’t even get that right. Connecticut has a warning system that kicks in at the same level as New Jersey’s, 20,000 cells per milliter. People should be avoiding contact with the water in Lake Hopatcong and other lakes when the algae blooms are this severe, no matter what Sen. Pennacchio says.”

People have been advised not to have any contact with the water in Lake Hopatcong for a month. Greenwood Lake was shut down last week because of a Harmful Algal Bloom (HAB) there. The Spruce Run reservoir has been closed to swimming nearly all season. Rosedale Lake in Mercer County is closed, and Swartswood Lake was shut down for more than a week in June.

“Sen. Pennacchio has one of the worst environmental records of any state senator. He voted against the Highlands Act, opposed Stormwater Management Utilities and C1 categorization of streams. He supported Christie-era rollbacks that got rid of Septic Management Districts and weakened stormwater protections, rollbacks that still haven’t been reversed. He opposed dock fees that would provide money to help clean up lakes. He and others attack every program to help the environment, and then when something goes wrong they’re trying to say that it’s not really a problem. Their hypocrisy is very Trumpian,” said Tittel. “Pennacchio’s policies that are anti-government, anti-environment, and anti-regulatory have caused the lakes to be closed instead of spending to clean up the lakes.”

Overdevelopment and stormwater runoff cause more nutrients to pour into lakes and waterways. Warmer water adds to conditions allowing algae to thrive. Climate change will increase the threat with warmer temperatures and more rain that will bring even more pollution into the water.

“Our lakes are shutting down because of algae problems that are the direct result of the state’s failure to properly protect our waterways. Pennacchio wants money from the state for harvesting weeds, but he doesn’t want the state spending on the things that really matter to protect our waterways. They have no watershed management programs. They have not addressed stormwater management and failed septics. They’ve done nothing with nutrient loads and Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) to limit pollutants. They have not controlled overdevelopment,” said Tittel. “Pennacchio shares in the responsibility for government’s failures. He has helped create the algae problems that he now says are no big deal.”

Some of the water samples taken from the New Jersey side of Greenwood Lake, showed cyanobacteria levels as high as 212,000 cells per milliliter, nearly 10 times the state health standards. The highest level recorded in Lake Hopatcong was nearly 200,000. The Lake Hopatcong algae blooms at one point covered most of the lake.

“Lake Hopatcong isn’t just a recreational lake, but a backup reservoir as well.  Algae there can affect our drinking water and should be treated as a serious problem. Health standards for drinking water are even more strict. If swimmers go into Lake Hopatcong because they think Pennacchio is right, they could get sick. The senator should instead start pushing in the legislature for action that will make a difference in cleaning our lakes. We need to strengthen rules on Stormwater Management, Flood Hazard and Water Quality Planning. We need to bring back Septic Management Districts and expand stream buffers. We need more funding for restoration projects for wetlands and natural systems, and to retrofit stormwater systems in existing developments. We must also fix our aging infrastructure and reduce nutrients from failed septics, leaky sewers and combined sewer overflows,” said Jeff Tittel, director of the New Jersey Sierra Club. “Pennacchio should focus on those issues, not telling people it’s safe to swim in water heavily polluted by toxic algae.”