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Coalition of Lake Associations

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  • 17 May 2023 6:42 PM | Anonymous

    July is Lakes Appreciation Month!

    You work and play on them. You drink from them. But do you really appreciate them? Growing population, development, and invasive species stress your local lakes, ponds, and reservoirs. All life needs water; let’s not take it for granted!

    Help make Lakes Appreciation Month great this year!
    Visit the NALMS website for more info.
     https://www.nalms.org/lakes-appreciation-month/

  • 5 May 2023 11:56 AM | Anonymous

    As we enjoy our beautiful lakes and communities, we all have a responsibility to be aware of our environmental impact on the watershed and lakes that we love. As members of lake communities that seek to educate children, teens, and adults as to what each person can do towards improving the health of our waterways, the NJ COLA Education Committee is offering resources that can be used to engage and provide stimulating educational experiences using the EnviroScape Non-Point Source Model. Sessions can also be tailored for focused age groups.

    • At the EnviroScape Station, participants will learn about non-point source pollution, or “people” pollution and how each one contributes to lake, stream, and ocean pollution.
    • The interactive presentation will show how we can help stop pollution using an activity that will show how everyday pollutants get into our waterways and lakes.
    • During the demo, questions include:
      • What is a watershed?
      • What types of non-point source pollution do you see in your community?
      • What do you think happens when it rains?
      • How can we reduce or control our contribution to the pollution?

    Here is a 3-minute snapshot of what the EnviroScape Model looks like – for more info or to schedule a presentation (about 30 minutes + Q &amp; A), contact us!

    https://youtu.be/W6KLXsl-J9k


  • 25 Mar 2023 1:30 PM | Anonymous

    Restoring funding to Section 314 of the Clean Lakes Program in the Clean Water Act 

    • NALMS_314_Letter to Legislators Template Final.docx


      Introduction

      The Clean Lakes Program was created in 1972 and was established under Section 314 of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act, later known as the Clean Water Act. Clean Lakes Program grants provided funds under Section 314 to help assess the water quality of lakes in a state or tribe, conduct diagnostic feasibility studies to identify the causes of pollution in the lake, implement projects to solve the problems and post restoration assessments. Between 1976 and 1995 the Clean Lakes Program awarded approximately $145 million in grants. The program has not received any funding since 1995.¹

      The Issue

      Lake water quality is declining across the nation despite existing efforts and funding. The number of healthy unpolluted lakes has been declining. The most recent National Lakes Assessment (NLA) found across the country that 45% of lakes are in poor condition with elevated phosphorus concentrations, and 46% were in poor condition with high nitrogen concentrations.² Nutrient pollution, high levels of algae growth, and diminished water clarity are increasing and were observed in 24% of the nation’s lakes.² The algal toxins known as microcystins, which can be harmful to humans and pets, were detected in 21% of lakes. ² Based on biological indicators, 24% of continental U.S. lakes were in poor condition for lake life.

      When the 314 Clean Lakes program funding was discontinued in 1995, Section 319 of the Clean Water Act, which provides funds for implementing projects that address nonpoint source water pollution was left to provide some funding for lake restoration. Recent queries of the 319-tracking system indicate that a small percentage of 319 funds are used for lake restoration activities. Limited Section 319 funding is available for lake diagnostic studies, protection of high quality lakes, and in-lake measures that can address harmful algal blooms that can be toxic to humans and pets.

      Economic Impacts

      Restoring funding to Section 314 of the Clean Lakes Program in the Clean Water Act is an investment in clean and healthy lakes that will lead to a great return in recreational and tourism dollars. According to an EPA report on the economic benefits of the Clean Lakes Program, the grant program spent approximately $9.5 million and achieved an estimated $90 million in return on investment.3 The benefits from the Clean Lakes Program range across various categories, including recreation, aesthetics, flood control, economic development, fish and wildlife conservation, agriculture, property value, public health, and water supply. Financial returns are expected to be even higher today, as harmful algal blooms have increasingly disrupted local businesses and recreation.4 Lakes provide natural ecosystem services such as water filtration, storage, nutrient cycling, recreation, and food. Many of these services are costly to engineer and replace; thus, it is economically beneficial to allocate funds toward the front-end protection of lakes by preventing their impairments.5 Clean lakes for homes, businesses, and camps help to increase property values and raise revenues by attracting more individuals to an area. Local communities are increasingly aware of the potential negative repercussions of declining water quality on property values. One study found that lakes with excess phosphorus experienced a 0.4%-3.3% decrease in lakefront housing prices. Researchers found that properties surrounding lakes with high levels of algal toxins experienced a 2-17% decline in property value.7

      Policy Recommendations

    •       NALMS recommends that Congress reauthorize funding for the Section 314 Clean Lakes Program and increase the annual appropriations, while maintaining funding for Section 319.
    •       NALMS recommends an ‘Enhanced’ Clean Lakes Program that will prioritize high quality lakes for protective management, as well as lakes in communities with environmental justice concerns.

    Visit our website: https://www.nalms.org/

    Read our Position statement for an enhanced Clean Lakes Program: https://www.nalms.org/nalms-position-papers/enhanced-314-clean-lakes-program-position-statement/

    References

    1. https://archive.epa.gov/water/archive/web/html/cllkspgm.html

    2. Environmental Protection Agency. (2022, July). National Lakes Assessment 2017 Key Findings EPA. https://www.epa.gov/national-aquatic-resource-surveys/national-lakes-assessment-2017-key-finding

    3. A. C. Hall , S. A. Peterson , J. Taggart , G. M. DeGraeve & B. W. Vigon (1987) THE U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY'S CLEAN LAKES PROGRAM: 1975–1985, Lake and Reservoir Management, 3:1, 117-128, DOI: 10.1080/07438148709354767

    4. “Economic Benefits of Clean Lakes Program” USEPA. https://nepis.epa.gov/Exe/ZyPDF.cgi/910101VQ.PDF?Dockey=910101VQ.PDF

    5. “Economic Benefits of Protecting Healthy Watersheds” (2012). EPA. https://www.epa.gov/sites/default/files/201510/documents/economic_benefits_factsheet3.pdf

    6. Moore, M. R., Doubek, J. P., Xu, H., & Cardinale, B. J. (2020). Hedonic Price Estimates of Lake Water Quality: Valued Attribute, Instrumental Variables, and Ecological-Economic Benefits. Ecological Economics, 176, 106692.

    7. Wolf, D., & Klaiber, H. A. (2016). (rep.). Bloom and Bust: Toxic Algae’s Impact on Nearby Property Values (pp. 1–33).

  • 17 Mar 2023 3:20 PM | Anonymous

    NJCOLA Spring Meeting Agenda–March 25, 2023

    Thomas Conway Cupsaw Lake and COLA Trustee.
    Geese Management and how to develop a realistic community plan to manage geese population.

    Richard D. Carlson, of the New Jersey Aquatic Safety Coalition will discuss the NJ Public Recreation Bathing Code and regulations related to the hiring of lifeguards.

    Sgt Pete Petelicki from the NJ State Police Marine Bureau will discuss waterfront safety including private floats and inflatables anchored off lakefronts.

    COLA Matters - Group Feedback / Board Actions (All) (11:30 – 11:45 AM)

    Other Legal Matters (Eileen)

    Website Update (Tom/Sebastian)

    2023 Dues / Status – Kathy

    Click here to view the full agenda,

    The meeting will be held at the Lake Mohawk Country Club, starting at 9AM.  Please click here for directions.


  • 8 Nov 2022 5:17 PM | Anonymous

    November 12, 2022 Meeting Info

    Chris Hanlon, the owner of Lake Management Sciences, will be discussing:

    • Binding Phosphorus-P In your Lake or Pond
    • Nutrient Inactivation
    • Aeration/Circulation general review

    Tony Suprum of Lake Parsippany and Chris Hanlon will be discussing:

    • Fish Stocking
    • Fish Surveys

    Click here to view the full agenda,

    There will also be a vote for the 2023 Board Members.  Click here to view candidate bio's.

    The meeting will be held at the Lake Mohawk Country Club, starting at 9AM.  Please click here for directions.

  • 12 Sep 2022 5:19 PM | Anonymous

    September 17, 2022 Agenda

    The agenda for our meeting on September 17, 2022 has been posted to our site.  Chris L. Mikolajczyk will be there to give and update from NALMS on funding for in-lake management programs.  We will also have two other speakers to discuss the fundamentals of foundations.  

    We will break up in the second half of the meeting to have round tables dedicated to a number of issues facing lake associations.

    An overview of the round tables can be found by clicking here.

  • 14 Jul 2022 5:20 PM | Anonymous

    New Jersey Lifeguard Legislation

    New Jersey has made permanent a change to lifeguard hours from 40 per week to 50 per week.  You can read more about some other areas this legislation changed by clicking here.

  • 10 May 2022 5:21 PM | Anonymous

    May 14 Agenda Update

    The agenda for our General Meeting on May 14, 2022 is now available. 

    Our first speaker is April Simnor, Wildlife Biologist, USDA-APHIS-Wildlife Services.  She will be discussing geese management in New Jersey.  If your lake has a goose population that has reached nuisance levels, April may have options for you. 

    Our second speaker is Jake Schlenker of Couch Braunsdorf Insurance Group.  Jake will discuss various insurance issues relevant for lake associations, including coverage for dams, cyber security and avoiding threats, crime insurance, abuse and molestation coverage, sports programs and sports participation exclusions within insurance policies. 

    Please click here for the full agenda. 

    The meeting will be held at the Lake Mohawk Country Club.  Please click here for directions.

  • 3 May 2022 11:06 AM | Anonymous

    Exisitng members of NJCOLA should be receiveing their membership forms soon, if they have not already.  A copy is available by clicking here.  The fee is the same as previous years.


  • 14 Apr 2022 11:07 AM | Anonymous

    The agenda for our General Meeting on April 23, 2022 is now available. 

    Stephen J. Souza, Ph.D., Clean Waters Consulting, LLC and Paul Sutphen, Clear Lake Technologies, LLC will present “Why is Septic-Related Phosphorus Loading Bad for My Lake and What Can Be Done About It?”

    Richard D. Carlson, of the New Jersey Aquatic Safety Coalition will discuss the NJ Public Recreation Bathing Code and regulations related to the hiring of lifeguards and waterfront safety.

    Please click here for the full agenda. 

    The meeting will be held at the Lake Mohawk Country Club.  Please click here for directions.

    Meeting Dates Set for 2022
    Updated 03/31/2022

    April 23
    May 14
    Sept 17
    Nov 12

    We will post more details about the meetings a few weeks before each one.


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