August Lane ponding problem still unresolved

WANTAGE — After residents of August Lane first began complaining to Wantage Township officials in May about a swampy area that had caused a mosquito problem, township Engineer Harold Pellow recommended that the town construct an inlet to divert water downhill from the ponding area to a drainage system about 300 feet away. And although the Wantage Township Committee voted in August to approve $5,300 in funding for the project, the work still hasn’t been completed. The delays have drawn sarcasm from at least one resident — Maggie Kolicko — who invited Wantage Township residents who attended the Dec. 10 Township Committee meeting to “come skate on the pond” that remains on the property. When reached by phone, Wantage Township Administrator Jim Doherty said the town needs to obtain a wetlands permit from the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection before it can embark on the drainage work since the property borders a wetlands area. An application was sent to the DEP on Sept. 3 and it typically takes six months for the agency to approve such requests, said Doherty. If the DEP does approve the project over the winter, Wantage would likely conduct the drainage work in the spring, he said.