Thank you for Speaking Up! Here’s how you can do More.

Thank you to the more than 90 people who came out to the NJDEP Hearing on Tuesday night in Flemington about the Haberman Hampton proposed Sewer Service Area. Testimony was given by residents next to the project, people who enjoy fishing, swimming, and tubing on the river, and nearby farmers about the presence of sinkholes in the area. The NJDEP heard concerns from several parents and Hampton residents about the potential harm from treated sewage effluent being discharged into the groundwater aquifer. People came from as far as Doylestown, PA, South Jersey, and Morristown, NJ to testify at the hearing. Other testimonies included a former sewage treatment plant inspector, a retired canoe tour leader, several from nearby farmers, and several anglers who indicated that trout fishing in the Musconetcong River was well worth the two plus hour drive from South Jersey.

What Can You Do? Send a written comment by mail or email to NJDEP by Tuesday, February 4. MWA has a template letter on our website and an action page. Every Voice Matters.

To make your comment count, personalize our template!

If all comments are submitted with the same wording, NJDEP will only count the comment once, even if 100 people submit.

Just one sentence will result in NJDEP counting your comment separately!

Here are some ideas:

I live in...
I fish on the Musconetcong River.
I like to swim, tube, or paddle on the Musconetcong River.
I am concerned about impacts to my drinking water.
I have a Private Well near the site.
I use the Hampton public water supply.

Numerous organizations came out and opposed the project in their testimonies, including Delaware River Keeper Network, Musconetcong Watershed Association, the Musconetcong River Management Council, Trout Unlimited and the NJ State Council of Trout Unlimited, NJ Sierra Club, New Jersey Conservation Foundation, the NJ Highlands Coalition.

Fred Stine, Delaware Riverkeeper Network, testifies.

Experts from Princeton Hydro provided testimony of the site’s hydrological connections to the Musconetcong River, indicating that discharges to the groundwater would permanently alter the water quality, water chemistry, and water quantity of the groundwater and the river.

MWA Trustee, Mary Paist-Goldman, a licensed professional engineer testifies.

MWA’s Water Quality Program Coordinator, Nancy Roberts-Lawler, testified that the project would countermand the ongoing and effective efforts that are reducing the river’s pre-existing bacterial contamination issues. Over 40 people spoke up and voiced their opposition to the project. There was no support voiced for the NJDEP approving the permit.

The Hearing got some great media coverage. The Lehigh Valley’s only television station, WFMZ 69, interviewed MWA staff Alan Hunt and Hampton resident Bill McQuaide, on Monday prior to the hearing: The Hunterdon County Democrat and NJ.com covered the hearing.