A cause for celebration!

Tuesday, March 11th, the first notch was cut in the Gruendyke Mill Dam near the Rt. 46 bridge in Hackettstown. Due to NJDEP rules that protect trout during breeding season, no work is permitted in the river between March 15 and June 15. Notching the dam will allow the pond area behind the dam to 'de-water' and reveal the riverbed, allowing vegetation to begin to grow and stabilize the work area. The next stages of the removal will begin in the summer, when drier conditions will allow the work to proceed smoothly. So begins the first dam removal on the Musconetcong River. A very special thanks to MWA President Bill Leavens and Trustee and attorney Peter Banta, who have worked so hard to bring this project about. Volunteers like Bill and Peter make projects such as these a reality.

MWA's Gruendyke Mill dam project partners to-date include Pump House Restaurant owners Rodger and Eileen Cornell,USDA Natural Resource Conservation Services, who have committed over $60,000 in funding toward the riparian and in-stream restoration at the site, the Warren County Municpal and Charitable Trust Fund, Leavens Foundation, Morris County Board of Freeholders, Trout Unlimited, American Rivers, Princeton Hydro, NJDEP Division of Fish and Wildlife, National Park Service, and the US Fish and Wildlife Service. MWA has obtained resolutions of support from Warren County Freeholders, Morris County Planning Department, Mount Olive Township, Trout Unlimited, New Jersey Federation of Sportsmen's Clubs and the Town of Hackettstown.

From left, the first photo shows the first cut being made in the Gruendyke Mill Dam. The second photo shows the preliminary notch at the full width of approximately 7 feet. The third photo shows the machine operator doing a "mini cleanup", as he used the opportunity to remove some tires, an old stroller and other debris from the river.

   

A message from MWA President Bill Leaven, January 2008

We honestly thought that the Gruendyke Mill dam removal in Hackettstown would be a distant memory by now. Funding for the removal has been in place for more than a year, plans are finalized, there is full support of the entire community, and it makes sense from every environmental standpoint. On December 18th, MWA received word from the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection that all of the necessary permits to proceed with the job are in hand and we will soon select the contractor.

Work will commence early in 2008 and should be completed soon after. It is expected that construction will commence in January with an initial dewatering of the dam via breaching, and then several weeks later the full construction will begin. A contractor will be selected shortly. However, we have learned to not put a date on these things.

There were questions about how the dam removal would affect water flows upstream and downstream from the site. In the end, we were able to convince the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection regulatory officials that our engineering plans will get the job done. The process of dam removal may not be a pretty thing, and the first few days or weeks, depending on the weather, will produce the kind of silting that we ordinarily fight hard to prevent. However, we know that the end result, which will last far into the future, will far outweigh the temporary disturbance to the site and downstream areas.

For an informative video developed by the Hydropower Reform Coalition on the environmental and social impacts of dams on our waterways go to www.dameffects.org

Recent articles about the Gruendyke Mill Dam removal -

A Dam Irritation by Fred J. Aun Star-Ledger, Sunday October 26, 2007

Aiming to take down dam Hackettstown officials considering Seber Dam's demise. By LYNN OLANOFF The Express-Times , Saturday, July 14, 2007

Conservation group says: Remove obsolete dams by John Monteith Hunterdon County Democrat Thursday, July 12, 2007

River's future looks rocky without help by Fred J. Aun Star-Ledger Wednesday, July 11, 2007

Group after dam-free river, by Lynn Olanoff Express Times Monday, July 02, 2007

Putting the Wild Back Into the River by Kevin Coyne Sunday New York Times June 17, 2007 New Jersey Section Page 1

The saviors of the dammed Returning a river to a wild state by Brendan Berls Star-Ledger, Thursday, April 12, 2007

MWA is leading the effort to remove the badly deteriorated Gruendyke Mill dam that partially blocks the Musconetcong immediately upstream from the Rt. 46 bridge at the border of Hackettstown and Mount Olive Township. The Gruendyke Mill dam is one of many obsolete dams blocking the river. The removal of this dam is the first step in a long-term effort to restore the river's natural flow, improve water quality and enhance fish migration.

MWA's Gruendyke Mill dam project partners to-date include the Central Jersey Chapter of Trout Unlimited, Delaware Riverkeeper Network, American Rivers, Princeton Hydro, Community Builders Association, NJDEP Division of Fish and Wildlife, National Park Service, and the US Fish and Wildlife Service. MWA has obtained resolutions of support from Warren County Freeholders, Morris County Planning Department, Mount Olive Township, Trout Unlimited, ,New Jersey Federation of Sportsmen's Clubs and the Town of Hackettstown.