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Mountain Lakes Preserve
Princeton Ice Company Historic District
Mountain Lakes Preserve contains 75 acres which are located in the middle of some 400 acres of preserved land that include the boulder fields in Witherspoon Woods, Community Park North, the boardwalk and pastures of Coventry Farm, and the recently preserved meadows of Tusculum. The Preserve is listed on the State and National Historic Registers as the Princeton Ice Company Historic District. More information on the history of the Princeton Ice Company can be found at http://www.nj.gov/dep/hpo/1identify/lists/mercer.pdf.
While Mountain Lakes Preserve is owned by Princeton Township, the Friends of Princeton Open Space (FOPOS) holds the conservation easement on the property and helps the Township maintain its trails, and is managing portions of the preserve for native species. More information on FOPOS and its volunteer opportunities can be found at www.fopos.org.
Rehabilitation of Mountain Lakes Dams
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Dredging of Upper and Lower Mountain Lakes
 In Summer 2010, the Township of Princeton anticipates the start of this construction project at the Mountain Lakes Preserve. The work includes:
- Draining the lakes, relocating fish and other aquatic creatures, and dredging the accumulated silt
- Reconstructing the upper concrete and masonry dam (see photo to the left)
 Raising the lower earthen dam by 2.4 feet- Reconstructing the concrete and stone lower spillway (see photo to the right)
- Constructing a new concrete wall along the channel bank opposite the lower spillway
- Reconstructing the stone wall in the channel downstream of the lower spillway
- Reforest disturbed areas
Some of the trails around Mountain Lakes Dams will be temporarily closed during construction. Click here to see the proposed plan of trail closures.
In advance of this construction project, the Township of Princeton will be completing the following two projects at Mountain Lakes Preserve:
- In April, trees in the proposed construction area will be removed.
- In late April, the Mountain Lakes House will be switched from an on-site septic system to a new connection to the sanitary sewer system in place near the James Sayen Trail along the paved driveway.
A neighborhood meeting was held on March 1, 2010 at the Township municipal building to introduce residents to the scope of this very important project.
If you have any questions, please contact the Township Engineering Office at 609-921-7077.
Project Updates
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