The purpose of this Conservation Plan element is to examine the natural resource characteristics of Mountain Lakes, especially in terms of areas of environmental concern. The impact of other elements of the Master Plan on the natural resources of the Borough was also considered. The comments and recommendations of the Borough Environmental Commission were carefully considered in the formulation of this element.
The preservation and enhancement of natural environmental features and resources was a centrally important consideration in the planning and development of Mountain Lakes as a planned residential community in the early part of this century. The Borough's original design, which was conceived as a whole, quite consciously created the lakes as the central focus of the planned new community. Large land areas were left undeveloped in their natural state. Roads and residential neighborhoods were laid out to deliberately create a park-like atmosphere by interweaving these man-made elements with the preserved natural features. This resulted in a community with a distinct character interrelating and balancing man-made and natural features.
A by-product of these physical characteristics of the Mountain Lakes community was that it attracted a population unusually dedicated to the conservation of natural resources. The Borough and its citizens have for generations conserved and protected this natural heritage. Notwithstanding this long standing tradition, there are recent trends of environmental significance and concern.
The following are the major conservation-related objectives that should be pursued by Borough officials and should be reflected in Borough policies.
The following is a description of the major natural resource features of special importance to the Borough of Mountain Lakes.
The natural resources that are of special importance to Mountain Lakes are its numerous lakes and its extensive vegetation, especially woodlands. The wildlife found in these resources is typical of the rural-suburban fringe to which the Borough belongs and constitutes a natural asset. To the extent that significant portions of these areas are publicly owned and dedicated to park, open space or conservation purposes they are relatively well protected. Other natural resources that are more vulnerable but require or deserve special protection are:
The utilization of natural resources for the benefit of the residential community, most notably the lakes and preserved woodland areas, has created a community with a distinctive character blending natural and man-made features. This character has been described as a park-like setting. The preservation of the lakes, parks and large open space conservation areas has historically been the focus of the Borough's conservation efforts. The preservation of the many small block-by-block parcels located throughout the Borough is collectively also important. Together they serve to filter air pollution, absorb unpleasant noises, reduce glare from lights of ball fields, shopping centers and commercial buildings, regulate temperature variations, control soil erosion, provide privacy, create pleasant views and personalize individual landscapes. This is particularly important to a community like Mountain Lakes which has a typical lot size of one-half acre or less, significantly smaller than the typical lot size of most other Morris County communities.
The lakes, in order from the topographically highest to the lowest altitude, are: Birchwood, Crystal and Sunset Lakes, the smaller Olive, Shadow, Cove and Reservoir Lakes, the large Mountain Lake, and Wildwood Lake, the most easterly. Taken together, the five largest lakes contain about 155 acres of surface water, with Mountain Lake, the largest, at about 80 acres. The lakes are used extensively for swimming, fishing and non-power boating. The water quality is tested regularly during the summer months and is adequate for the types of activities that occur. However, a slight deterioration of the water quality has been noted in recent years for Birchwood and Crystal Lakes.
The preservation of the lakes and quality of surface waters and the slowing of the process of eutrophication depend upon the extent to which pollution and overuse can be avoided. Point source pollution from septic systems has been eliminated by the public sanitary sewerage system. Non-point pollution from roads, parking lots, lawns, etc., can be reduced by the provision and enforcement of proper construction and maintenance standards. Sedimentation resulting from erosion also falls in the category of potential hazards that can be mitigated by appropriate criteria for development and maintenance. Phosphate pollution resulting from runoff from lawns remains a particular concern.
The dams which created the Borough's lakes were constructed at the beginning of this century and are aging. As a result, dam repair and maintenance (regulated by the federal and state government) have become more important and costly concerns. Proper maintenance will require the removal of major vegetation from the dams and may require temporary lowering of water levels during periods of repair. In general, however, better water regulation and management of the Borough's lakes are needed to promote the healthy continuation of one of the Borough's most important natural resources.
Soils that are subject to flooding at least every two years can be found in the northeastern sections of the Borough, in areas near the intersection of Morris Avenue and Fanny Road, and below the railroad behind Midvale Acres and Yorke Village. These areas, as well as some sections along Pocono Road and Laurel Hill Road, serve as natural detention areas. All or at least most of this land is in Borough ownership. All of this land is a prime subject for preservation by specific purpose dedication.
The Borough's potable water supply is dependent upon the Borough-operated "Well Number 5" located next to Route 46 and a backup Borough-owned well (Rockaway Valley #4) next to the Rockaway River Country Club in Denville. A less productive well is located on Tower Hill Road. Studies1 have identified a major aquifer under the Route 46 corridor in Mountain Lakes. The depth of 200 to 300 feet to the groundwater provides generally adequate pollution protection but faults, unfavorable soil conditions or the negative pressure caused by pumping could cause infiltration of pollution under certain circumstances. The Borough's groundwater protection ordinance and aquifer overlay zone ordinance outline specific recommendations for uses and performance standards for land development over the aquifer and its recharge zone.
1 "Water Resources Study of Rockaway Valley, Morris County, N.J. " Geonics, 1979. and "Hydrogeologic Framework of the Middle and Lower Rockaway River Basin, Morris County, New Jersey". New Jersey Geological Report GSR 33, 1993.
The vegetation in Mountain Lakes includes the natural, wooded areas in the western and eastern sections of the Borough, and many scattered stands of natural woods, planted trees and extensive landscaping along the Boulevard and in most of the residential sections of the community. Much of this vegetation dates to the beginnings of the Borough in the early part of the 20th century as a planned community. In recent decades, Borough policies have encouraged the selective preservation of trees as part of the planning for new development. The environmental character of Mountain Lakes to a large extent is a result of this legacy of large trees, woods and mature vegetation.
This legacy, however, is slowly but substantially changing as a result of two important trends. The Borough's woodlands and vegetation are aging and much is in declining health. This fact will have an increasing significance to natural resource preservation concerns in the Borough. In addition, many privately owned natural wooded areas are giving way to extensive formal landscaping. This is the result of changing tastes in landscaping of many individual homeowners, favoring more open, cultivated planting materials. This is reducing the structural diversity of the vegetative understory away from denser natural species. As a corollary, this loss of vegetation is resulting in a loss of song birds in the Borough. These factors are slowly changing the natural resource and environmental characteristics of Mountain Lakes.
The following are the major proposals related to the conservation of natural resources in Mountain Lakes.
The Borough should continue the long established policy of preserving and protecting the extensive Borough-owned areas dedicated for park, open space and conservation purposes. The preservation of these areas is important for environmental reasons and to the character of the community. Many of these areas were set aside from development because they contain environmentally sensitive lands including steep, erosion-prone sections, detention and water recharge areas, soils with high water table and most of the natural woods. Most of these areas are located within the passive sections of dedicated parks or within other Borough-owned land. The preservation of these lands constitutes a major protection of the resources providing safety against erosion and sedimentation in the surface waters.
Protecting the water quality of the Borough's lakes is centrally important to the character of the community and the way of life of its citizens. Efforts should continue to better understand the reasons for the apparent acceleration in the process of eutrophication. Better understanding is necessary to set the stage for developing more effective policies for controlling eutrophication. There is, however, already sufficient understanding to know that the following measures should be carefully considered by the Borough:
Although the Borough must do what it can to promote water quality, cooperative efforts with other levels of government must also be pursued. Efforts to improve water quality and to slow eutrophication of the lakes have been hampered by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's restrictions on chemical controls. This highlights the need for more regional and state involvement in the development of policies for the protection of the Borough's lakes. Collectively the Borough's surface waters are an important part of the headwaters of the Whippany watershed; 90 percent of the Borough's surface water drains to the Whippany River. The Whippany Watershed project, a pilot program of the N.J. Department of Environmental Protection, is working to promote the watershed management approach to environmental protection.
Approximately ten percent of the Borough's surface water drains through the Tourne, and joins the Rockaway River in Boonton and thus becomes a part of the Passaic River Watershed. The Passaic River Coalition is another regional force that is attempting to influence land use planning for environmental goals at the state level. Regional environmental stewardship is the future and should be embraced.
The Borough's sole dependence on groundwater for its potable water supply and the detection of low levels of groundwater contamination (tetrachloroethene or PCE) at its main well makes the protection of groundwater resources an important public policy issue for the Borough. Extensive efforts to map the groundwater aquifer, which is the source of the Borough's groundwater supply, have confirmed the complexity and difficulty of developing effective public policies to protect that resource. To a large extent, the aquifer and its recharge area are located on private land, both vacant and developed. Compounding the difficulty of controlling the use and development of this area in a manner that will protect groundwater quality is the fact that a large portion of the aquifer and its recharge area are located outside of the Borough.
Nevertheless, the Borough should do what it can to protect groundwater resources in order to protect public health and safety and to avoid major public expense for remedial solutions to remove contamination or to develop alternative supplies. The following measures are recommended:
Mature indigenous vegetation, in woodlands and in residential neighborhoods, has long been a central characteristic of Mountain Lakes - dating to its origins as a planned community. Change in the extent and structure of this vegetation which is occurring as a result of the natural process of aging and because of changing individual preferences in landscaping will inevitably have important repercussions on both the character and environmental health of the Borough. Residents should be educated to the importance of preservation of the natural flora of the Borough, especially the older growth vegetation and specimen trees. Restrictions on tree cutting should be considered.
When the updating of the Natural Resource Inventory is complete (sometime in 1996), it should be consulted in the development of Borough policies that address or affect environmental issues. Consultants who advise the Council, Planning Board and Zoning Board of Adjustment should be broadly aware of its contents and familiar with New Jersey environmental laws.
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