Posted on November 30, 2022
Mayor Chris Vergano explained at a recent council meeting why Wayne Township is responsible for dredging silt from the bottom of Packanack Lake – a private lake community.
The issue goes back almost 50 years to 1975.
“If you’re wondering why we are dredging Packanack Lake, back in the early ‘70s there was a lawsuit filed by the Packanack Lake Association against the Township of Wayne,” said Vergano at the council meeting. “There was a trial, and a consent agreement was signed by a judge back then. And it was updated a few years later whereas the Township of Wayne is responsible when a certain amount of silt fills in the and the lake fingers then we are responsible for cleaning them out.”
When Tom’s Lake became a swimming facility in Wayne, the Packanack Lake Association fought to stop a drainage pipe from being installed that would let unfiltered water from Tom’s Lake flow directly into the fingers at the north end of Packanack Lake.
In the long run, the pipe was allowed, but because silt, as well as water, would flow from lake-to-lake, the Judge in the case ruled that the Township would be responsible for silt accumulation and removal in Packanack Lake.
Image Courtesy of GoogleMaps
The agreement, updated in 1998, forces Wayne Township to measure the silt levels in Packanack Lake and dredge once a certain level has been reached. The last time the lake was dredged was about 10 years ago, according to Vergano.
“Every other year, we measure to see whether the level of silt has risen to where we need to do the dredging of those areas of the lake,” said Vergano, adding that the measurement was done “this year,” and that the actual dredging will happen “sometime in 2023.”
The council approved $220,000 for the project, the ordinance stating that the purpose of the money is “for the dredging and silt removal from Packanack Lake, including all engineering, design and work and materials necessary therefore and incidental thereto.”
Vergano concluded with: “If anybody was listening, saying ‘why would we be spending money to dredge Packanack Lake?’ that is the explanation.”
