Hurricane Irene: Lake Hopatcong to be Dropped 6"

Lake Hopatcong will be lowered by six inches in anticipation of , according to Russell Felter, chairman of the Lake Hopatcong Commission (LHC).

“If this was a normal August, we wouldn’t be as worried about this,” Felter said of the lake’s level. “The lake is usually lower in August, because it’s so dry. But it’s been so rainy, and the lake is already very high. During Hurricane Floyd, the lake rose between six and 12 inches. If we get that much water now, there’s no place for it to go.”

When the lake is drawn down, Felter said, the water goes downstream into the Musconetcong River, and then into the Delaware River.