Weed Harvesting on Lake Hopatcong Ahead of Schedule

Weed harvesting on Lake Hopatcong is ahead of schedule for the summer season, and is already ahead of what was collected for all of last year, according to Steve Ellis, regional superintendent of the state's northern parks. He reported to the Lake Hopatcong Commission at its meeting on Monday night.

“We’ve collected 1,300 cubic yards of biomass this season, when we collected only 1,100 cubic yards all of last year,” Ellis said.

The service is currently running four harvesters, two dump trucks and two conveyors, and has gone from three to six employees running the machinery.

“So far the equipment has been running pretty well,” Ellis added. “There have been a few problems with gas line breaks, belt failures, things like that.”

The next areas on the list for harvesting include Castle Rock, Halsey Island, Brady Bridge and Prospect Point.