NJTU

Mighty Musconetcong: ever-changing, still vital
Published: Friday, August 05, 2011
J.B. Kasper/For The Times By J.B. Kasper/For The Times

The Musconetcong River is, if not the top, one of the top trout streams in the Garden State. From its headwaters at Lake Hopatcong to its confluence with the Delaware River at Riegelsville, its water supplies some of the best year-round trout fishing in New Jersey. It once supplied water for the state’s trout and fish hatchery, the Charles O’Hayford Fish Hatchery in Hacketstown. (The hatchery stopped producing trout in 1981 when trout production was transferred to the state-of-the-art Pequest Trout Hatchery. It now produces warm-water species such as bass, channel catfish, hybrid stripers, muskies, etc. for the state.)

Over the years, the Musconetcong River supplied water for paper mills and other manufacturing facilities, irrigation for farms and fields and water supplies for municipalities. The river has seen many changes over the years and despite everything it has maintained good water quality. But there is no question that the river will continue to see changes. Maintaining and improving the river’s water quality will be a constant challenge and the key to the fishing in the river in years to come.

One of the reasons for the river’s exceptional water quality is that it has a good limestone base, especially in its lower regions. Many of the springs that feed the river flow up though limestone formations and the limestone provides a good alkaline base that is conducive to good insect hatches.

Another factor that comes into play is that a lot of the land through which the river flows are state lands which limits development and provides a good buffer between developed lands and the river.

The river has many small tributary streams, some with excellent water quality and others with problems. These tributary streams affect the river’s water quality, both good and bad, which means attention to their welfare is also a must. In recent years, a concerted effort to restore the river to as natural a state as possible and to improve tributary stream quality has been undertaken. The project is the Musconetcong Home Rivers Initiative (MHRI).

The project’s goal is to protect the existing habitat and improve the river’s habitat for future generations. Achieving these goals is a complex effort which includes removing water flow impairments (dam removal); improving agricultural land management practices; land acquisition, access improvement and easements; improving the quality of the river’s tributary streams; stream channel improvement; storm water management and education. This multi-faceted approach to the river’s health requires a big investment in time and manpower on a year round basis.

The coordinator of the MHRI is Brian Cowden. Brian is a long time member of the Fred S. Burroughs North Jersey Chapter of Trout Unlimited, who has worked with the “Trout In the Classroom” (TIC) program state-wide, and later as state council vice chair of the program. The program is a full time job for Brian as he weekly puts 40-plus hours into it. Brian told me Trout Unlimited has been the driving force behind the MHRI project from its inception in February 2008. Brian, in conjunction with the state chapter of TU, has been securing the funding for the many projects that will be required to restore the river. The funding is collection of state, federal and local money, along with private and corporate donations.

This year’s projects include the removal of the Finesville dam on the lower river along with another ½ mile of channel restoration associated with that dam, removal of at least one tributary dam, the restoration of Kurtenbach’s Brook in Allamuchy Mountain State Park (altered harshly when Interstate 80 was built to accommodate the new highway), and working with numerous landowners to identify future restoration projects while identifying critical lands throughout the watershed which are in need of protection, with help from the programs land trust partners.

Work on all these projects, past projects and future projects is done with volunteers from Trout Unlimited and other supporting organizations, as well as individuals. So if you like and fish the Musconetcong, don’t be afraid to contact Brian and offer your time and any expertise you might have, as there is still plenty of work to be done.

You can find out more about the MHRI at tu.org/conservation/watershed-restoration-home-rivers-initiative/musconetcong-river-nj.