Morristown Daily Record
No one objects to the essential purpose of New Jersey’s Highlands Water Protection and Planning Act.
But for a distinct minority of Garden State towns, the landmark law to protect drinking water for almost 7 million people is drying out their financial resources and jeopardizing the fiscal future of their school systems.
“We want to preserve water and resources,” said Eric Wilsusen, mayor of Jefferson, an expansive rural township in the Highlands that also includes portions of Lake Hopatcong, New Jersey’s largest lake and a popular recreation destination. “We’re all for that. I grew up here. This is my playground. But we’re definitely taking the burden for preserving those resources for the rest of New Jersey. And it’s just, it’s really not fair.
The Highlands Act, approved in 2004 and signed into law by Gov. Jim McGreevey, imposes strict development limits and other restrictions in the region, which cuts through 88 towns across Bergen, Hunterdon, Morris, Passaic, Somerset, Sussex and Warren counties.
“It’s the place where New Jersey’s densely populated urban corridor gets its water,” said Ben Spinelli, executive director of the state-appointed Highlands Council. “Every day, over 860 million gallons of water are exported out of the region to other parts of the state. There are 332 of the state’s 564 municipalities on the receiving end of that pipeline.”