Woodland Park council reorganizes with hopes of saving Great Notch Reservoir

WOODLAND PARK - The governing body this year plans to find alternatives to the Passaic Valley Water Commission (PVWC) plan to drain the scenic reservoirs at Garret Mountain. The borough also hopes to implement wireless internet access at more borough parks, and save residents' money with a plan to decrease flood insurance rates.

STAFF PHOTOS BY MATTHEW KADOSH

At Woodland Park's 2014 reorganization meeting on Wednesday Mayor Keith Kazmark holds a mass swearing in ceremony for dozens of borough officials and volunteers. Also shown is the mayor swearing in this year's Council President Joseph Spinelli while Councilwoman Rita Pascrell holds the bible.

Although Woodland Park may still end up in litigation with the water commission, the town is not looking for a "street fight" when it comes to comes to opposing to the water commission plan, Mayor Keith Kazmark said during his state of the borough address at the reorganization meeting Wednesday night.

"We will ... seek and discuss alternatives to their plan," he said in his prepared remarks. "Exploring the environmental impact, the possibility of working with the City of Newark to use the Ridge Road Reservoir in Cedar Grove to save the Great Notch Reservoir and working with the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection will all be pursued in the next 30 days."

The Record reported in April of last year that the two reservoirs are connected by a small series of pipes and that it would be possible to install larger pipes to further link up the two reservoirs for a sharing of drinking water.

In fact, the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) administrative consent order which mandates changes to the reservoirs requires the commission talk with the City of Newark about the possibility of sharing the Great Notch and the Ridge Road Reservoirs, Joseph Bella, executive director of the commission said.

"Instead of having two, you'd have one reservoir that might have tanks or treatment," he told Passaic Valley Today. "It might be better off to put in tanks, but you have to look at the hydraulics."

The reservoirs already share water in the event that one is out of order, Bella said on Friday, but added that the plan to replace the Great Notch Reservoir is still about seven years down the road and that it is too early to intelligently discuss such a plan.

"Its not something that's on our front burner at this point because were trying to get the first phase done," he said a reference to the Stanley M. Levine Reservoir in Paterson. "We probably wouldn't start that for another seven years."

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Woodland Park council reorganizes with hopes of saving Great Notch Reservoir