Musconetcong River Restoration Work

Photo by Lou DiGena

Central Jersey Trout Unlimited, along with several other T.U. Chapters and partners, recently worked on a planting project on the Musconetcong River. The project location was on a state owned Wildlife Management Area  just upstream of the Asbury dam. This area is impaired by eroding banks, lack of riparian cover, storm water runoff issues, water quality pollution such as fecal chloroform from sources such as dairy cows in the river or its tributaries as well other problems.

Photo by Lou DiGena

About fifty volunteers from several organizations and schools, including some folks as far away as Colorado participated in this event.  In record time, holes were dug and 150 containerized plants and trees were planted.  After the planting all of the new backside residents were caged or covered with netting to ward off the hungry resident deer and beavers.  This work will go a long way to enhance the ripariarn cover on this section of river. 

Photo by Lou DiGena

It was also a great way to introduce some children, including my oldest, to some conservation work and some good old back breaking manual labor.  They took to it like a duck to water, and thoroughly enjoyed the experience!

Photo by Lou DiGena

Many thanks to all the volunteers who gave up part of their weekend to give something back to the river!

Photo by Lou DiGena

Another one bites the dust!

The Finesville Dam on the Musconetcong River is coming down!  This project began in 2007 with a letter supporting the dam's removal from the owner. Then came feasibility studies, grants, years of public meetings and of course the ever elusive permits.

Finally work has begun on the dam's removal.  Once the structure is removed there will be plenty more work to be done restoring the river to its original condition.

This dam removal is the latest in a series of dam removal projects on this river.  A number of them have been successfully removed to date and more ambitious projects are waiting in the wings.

My hat is off to all of the individuals and organization that made this happen!