PEQUANNOCK - Frustrated by its futile efforts to keep the waterfowl out of Pequannock Valley (PV) Park, the Township Council has approved a hunt to rid the lake of the ducks and geese. Their droppings, officials say, are driving up bacteria levels in the water and causing frequent closures in the summer.
The major offenders, Mayor Rich Phelan said Thursday, are a family of about 30 ducks that have made their home in one section of the 27-acre park located off Alexander Avenue. A variety of remedies have been tried in past years to drive them, along with their geese brethren, off the beach and out of the water, including the use of fake wolves, plastic fencing, and fires on the sand.
Residents have also been encouraged to walk their dogs in the area, but the waterfowl continue to return.
"The problem with [the waterfowl] and the methods you use to frighten them is that you have to continually vary them," Township Manager Dave Hollberg said Wednesday. "It's very labor intensive, and they do tend to come back."
Officials said that the droppings contaminate the water, especially during the hot, still days of August, and sometimes cause the daily bacteria tests to show elevated levels of fecal coliforms. As a result, the lake sat empty on several summer weekends in 2010 and 2012, and remained closed until the rates returned to normal.
The idea of shooting the animals outright was proposed at a recent department head meeting, Hollberg said, and led the town administration to apply for the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) permit that would allow it. The permit was granted, and the governing body formally approved a resolution on Tuesday night that gave the culling a green light.
The hunt will be held before the lake officially opens for the season on Memorial Day weekend, and will be conducted by licensed firearm owners from the town. Those who live within 200 feet of the PV Park property line will be notified, Hollberg said, and "appropriate security measures" will be taken to ensure that no one trespasses.
"The police will work with our other departments to establish a safety plan, and the area around the [lake] will be closed and secured," he said.
Aside from the cost of the DEP permit, there are no expenses associated with the proposal. But, if all goes according to plan, one culling might be enough.
"My understanding from people who hunt is that once you shoot a couple, they tend not to come back," said Hollberg. "We'll see what happens."
Councilwoman Melissa Florance-Lynch endorsed the hunt on Tuesday night as a last-ditch effort to keep the water clean and the lake open this year.
"We've done everything to try to control the waterfowl at PV Park," she said, "and I'm supporting what we're trying to do here because it's been a real problem, and it's a health hazard to the town."
Phelan agreed, and said Thursday that the town wants "our people to be safe and [PV] to be open.
"We've tried all kinds of things... so we're hoping it's successful," he said.
No official date has been set for the hunt as of yet.
Email: janoski@northjersey.com
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