Great Swamp Watershed Association Applauds the NJ DEP Decision to Reject Plan to Extend Sewer Line

Decision Impacts Plans for “Abbey Woods at Delbarton” Development in Morris Township.

The Great Swamp Watershed Association, a member-based non-profit organization dedicated to preserving and protecting water and natural areas in the Great Swamp Watershed, a 55-square-mile region in Morris and Somerset Counties, today announced its support for the recent New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) decision to reject a proposed plan to extend a sewer line onto a 41-acre section of the “Abbey Woods at Delbarton” property located in Morris Township.

The sewer line was a key element in the ongoing effort by private developers to build a high-priced retirement community on the land, which is currently pristine open space. The Great Swamp Watershed Association has been actively opposing this project for 5 years and has spent considerable time and resources defending this natural area of the Washington Valley.

The Great Swamp Watershed Association is gratified that the DEP saw fit to make this important decision based not on politics and heated rhetoric, but instead on a dispassionate review of the appropriate criteria.

The developer has the option to appeal the decision, and The Great Swamp Watershed Association will continue to be involved in the process. The Great Swamp Watershed Association follows its clearly defined charter objectives of pursuing better land use decisions and stormwater run-off remediation efforts throughout the Great Swamp Watershed and in adjacent areas.

The Great Swamp Watershed Association views this issue as a crucial litmus test of all New Jersey’s land use planning strategies: State Plan, Highlands Council, etc. If this parcel of open space — with its documented and significant historical and environmental sensitivity — could not be preserved from development, then no place in New Jersey is safe.

According to David A. Budd, Vice Chairman of the Great Swamp Watershed Association and the Chair of the group’s Land Use Committee, “The DEP dispassionately considered the application on its merits, in light of the sensitivity of the area and its adjacency to other environmentally and historically important areas, and they reached the correct conclusion.”

See below for a brief rundown of the reasons behind the Great Swamp Watershed Association’s opposition to the development. To interview Mr. Budd of the Great Swamp Watershed Association for in-depth commentary on the DEP’s recent decision, please contact him directly:

Home: 973-539-5166
Cell: 862-812-7894
email: davidb@mcbd.com
Office: 973-538-1680 or 7800

The Great Swamp Watershed Association strongly opposed “Abbey Woods at Delbarton” for the following reasons:

• “Abbey Woods at Delbarton” is located immediately adjacent to the Jockey Hollow Section of the Morristown National Historical Park, the nation’s first national historical park and is located in Planning Area 5 of the State Development and Redevelopment Plan (the most environmentally sensitive designation);
• “Abbey Woods at Delbarton” is located in the Highlands Planning Area;
• “Abbey Woods at Delbarton” is located in a National Historic District;
• “Abbey Woods at Delbarton” includes property with Category One waters (the most pristine designation and consequently the most sensitive) and exceptional value wetlands;
• “Abbey Woods at Delbarton” includes Landscape Project Areas 4 and 5 for threatened and endangered species (barred owl, coopers hawk, red shouldered hawk, wood turtle and Indiana Bat)
• “Abbey Woods at Delbarton” would involve the loss of 3,153 mature trees and removal of an astonishing 344,000 cubic yards of fill;
• “Abbey Woods at Delbarton” is located primarily on steep slopes which are generally heavily forested;
• GSWA and its engineers also believe that the project, as proposed, failed to meet the state’s stormwater regulations by a material margin

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25 Years of Protecting Water & Land In Your Town!

Founded in 1981, the Great Swamp Watershed Association, headquartered in Harding Township, NJ, is committed to protecting drinking water and preserving land to maintain the natural beauty and livability of your town. Celebrating 25 years of service as a non-profit organization, the Association relies on membership and contributions in its advocacy for the ecological health of the 36,000 acres of the watershed. For information on membership and upcoming events, visit the website at www.greatswamp.org. Anyone interested in supporting the Great Swamp Watershed Association may call Ruth Kerkeslager at 973-538-3500.
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