Lake Hopatcong’s Floating Classroom

Lake Hopatcong is New Jersey’s largest and most heavily-used recreational lake. Princeton Hydro has been working on the management of Lake Hopatcong and its watershed since the design and completion of the original Phase I Diagnostic and Feasibility Study in 1981. Recent consulting services include support in the development of an educational training program for the Lake Hopatcong Foundation’s (LHF) Floating Classroom. As part of the Floating Classroom program, the LHF provides training to students, teachers, educational instructors, and others on some basic water quality monitoring for a lake ecosystem. The training program includes water quality monitoring, plankton sampling, and aquatic vegetation identification.

The program as a whole involves multiple parts. To initiate the floating classroom, volunteer instructors were given an in-class primer by Princeton Hydro ecologists on basic lake ecology, water quality, and why we monitor the lake. Princeton Hydro then provided further technical assistance in the development of a water quality monitoring program for educators that focuses on lake/pond ecosystems as well as technical guidance in the selection of lake water quality sampling kits that would be utilized during class activities. Finally, Princeton Hydro ecologists conducted an on‐the‐lake training session, demonstrating to educators how to use the sampling equipment and understanding the collected data.

A number of educational materials were also developed and implemented by Princeton Hydro for the LHF. These included a simple guide to the more common genera of plankton found in Lake Hopatcong, morphometric data on Lake Hopatcong (e.g. mean depth, maximum depth, surface area, miles of shoreline, hydraulic residence time, etc.), and a copy of the Lake Hopatcong Aquatic Plant Identification Guide. All training materials and a project summary were provided to LHF. The long-term goal is for the LHF to have the ability to conduct this on‐the‐lake training for future audiences with the experience and materials provide by Princeton Hydro for this program.