Watershed Association Receives EPA Award

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency last week awarded the Musconetcong Watershed Association—which includes Lake Hopatcong in its coverage area—with an Environmental Quality Award for its achievements protecting health and the environment. The MWA was one of ten New Jersey individuals or organizations to be honored by the EPA.
“These honorees work tirelessly to protect the environment and to ensure that all of us can look forward to a cleaner, healthier world,” said Regional Administrator Judith Enck. “We can all be proud of what they have accomplished and the example they set.”
The MWA is a non-profit organization aimed at protecting and improving the quality of the Musconetcong River Watershed and its natural and cultural resources through public education, water monitoring, sustainable land management, and community involvement. "[The] MWA is at the forefront of removing obsolete dams that impede water flow, degrade water quality, and block fish passage, and has been instrumental in the removal of two such dams," the EPA stated in honoring the association. "Furthermore, their River Resource Center is the first U.S. Green Building Council Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED) Platinum certified building in Warren County."
The EPA presents Environmental Quality Awards annually in conjunction with Earth Day to individuals, businesses and organizations in EPA Region 2, which covers New Jersey, New York, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and eight federally-recognized Indian Nations. The awards recognize significant contributions to improving the environment and public health in the previous calendar year. For information about the Environmental Quality Awards in EPA Region 2, visit http://www.epa.gov/region02/eqa/.