Mosquito problem bugs August Lane residents

Water collecting near vacant house serves as breeding ground, By Tom Hoffman WANTAGE - Residents of August Lane and Wantage Township officials have differing opinions on the cause of a ponding problem on a property here that’s been occurring for at least the past few months. But all are in agreement that something has to be done to stop the mosquito problem that has intensified recently. “It’s been terrible with the mosquitoes,” said Mark Carroll, a resident who lives near 16 August Lane, where water has been pooling for the past couple of years, according to another neighbor’s account. “We can’t sit outside most of the time because of them.” “It’s been an ongoing problem for two to three years,” says August Lane resident Larry Wilckens. Solution on the drawing board Township officials said they were alerted to the problem in late May or June, according to Wantage Administrator Jim Doherty. Township Engineer Harold Pellow visited the property on June 22 and filed a short report. In it, he recommends that the town build an “E” inlet or a flat grate to be installed in the low area and pipe it to a drainage system located about 300 feet downhill from the property. Doherty placed the cost of the project at about $5,300, which could be handled by the town’s Department of Public Works but would require the approval of the Township Committee. After Doherty described the problem to the committee at its July 9 meeting, Mayor Parker Space recommended the committee hold off approval until each of the three committee members have had a chance to drive to August Lane and assess the situation themselves. Running pump may be at fault Wilckens believes the situation is caused by a water pump that he believes is continuously running at the now-unoccupied home on 16 August Lane. He says he recommended to Pellow that the township cut power to the house, which has been vacant for about a month. Doherty said the township has contacted the Sussex County Department of Environmental and Public Health Services, which he said is working with Sussex Rural Electric to shut off power to that address. Wilckens suggests the pump is causing the well there to overflow. In his report, Pellow said that he didn’t see water bubbling up from the well on that property. Mayor Space and the other committee members are scheduled to meet again on July 30 to discuss Pellow’s recommendation. In the meantime, Wilckens said he hopes the problem doesn’t become worse. “I’ve seen frogs in this pond and there are copperhead snakes in the woods behind here,” said Wilckens as he gestured to the rear of the property. Although bites from copperheads are seldom fatal, Wilckens is nonetheless concerned about the safety of children who live in the neighborhood. “The last thing we need is a kid getting bitten by a snake,” he said.