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WVW celebrates art, history with Artigras event

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Happy birthday Ace Michael Brumbach!

HARVEYS LAKE &#8212; The state&#8217;s largest natural lake will be taken off the Department of Environmental Protection &#8220;impaired lake list,&#8221; the borough council learned Tuesday.Harveys Lake&#8217;s water health status is not completely cleared of the total maximum density daily load, or TMDL, pollution levels but is on its way, thanks to the borough&#8217;s storm water management program, said Fred Lubnow, director of aquatic programs at Princeton Hydro.The presence of a highly aggressive water plant called hydrilla in a section of the lake remains a concern, he said.Hydrilla is a fast-growing invasive aquatic plant that can reproduce from vegetation fragments. If left unchecked, hydrilla could overtake the lake, growing to create a mat-like covering on the surface and choking other vegetation and fish.The lake&#8217;s removal from the &#8220;impaired lake list&#8221; will not hinder the municipality from receiving grant funding to fight off the plant, Lubnow said.Lubnow told the council an application for a DEP grant to combat hydrilla was denied but &#8220;another round of grant funding will open in June.&#8221;&#8220;I am looking for other funding sources (to remove hydrilla),&#8221; Lubnow said.Lubnow had more news for the borough council.&#8220;On Monday, I had a meeting at DEP about establishing water quality thresholds,&#8221; he said. &#8220;They are going to use the lake as a reference for high-quality water.&#8221;The news made many council members smile as Councilwoman Michell&#8217;e Boice asked Lubnow to repeat the news.&#8220;Clear water, low nutrients, low algae,&#8221; Lubnow said. &#8220;But we still need to deal with the hydrilla.&#8221;In other news, attorney Matt Loftus opened four sealed bids for the sale of the former police vehicles, a 2010 Dodge Charger and a 2006 Ford Crown Victoria.The bidders were:&#8226; Yousef Dabbagh, Island Lake, Illinois, $1,668 for the Dodge Charger;&#8226; Leonard Nardozza, Nanticoke, $1,300 for the Dodge Charger;&#8226; BayRidge Motors, Staten Island, New York, $677 for the Dodge Charger; and&#8226; Chicago Motors Inc., of Chicago Illinois, $1,307 for the Dodge Charger and $207 for the Ford Crown Victoria.Council member Thomas Kehler made a motion to reject the bids and re-advertise the vehicles. The motion was seconded by Ed Kelly and unanimously passed.&#8220;I do not think the bids were high enough,&#8221; Kehler said.The next meeting of the Harveys Lake Borough Council is slated for 7:30 p.m. June 21 in the municipal building.<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta>By Eileen Godinegodin@www.timesleader.com</bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta>Reach Eileen Godin at 570-991-6387 or on Twitter @TLNews.</shirttailMeta></div>

Harveys Lake water quality improving despite presence of hydrilla