newjerseynewsroom.com

BY JEFF TITTEL

COMMENTARY

For the first time the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has denied funding to New Jersey for the March flooding of the Passaic River. FEMA did not consider the flood event major enough to be a disaster. For the people who live along the Passaic River it is a disaster. The impact on their homes, families, and lives is devastating. The March flood was the second big flood they faced in little over a year. These people should not be put through this type of disaster time and time again. The FEMA decision came at a time when people are still cleaning up from another flood that happened earlier this week.

Our hearts go out to the people who have been flooded yet again. New Jersey must take action to stop subsidizing disaster and move people out of harms way. The situation in the Passaic River is getting worse and we need to take immediate action.

This decision reinforces the need to have buyouts on Passaic River. The homes that constantly flood need to be purchased. We should remove those houses and restore the flood plain. In the long run this approach is cheaper for tax payers, better for the environment, and better for the families next to the river.

Even though most of the families have flood insurance, it is subsidized by tax payers. People without flood insurance tend to be poor people or senior citizens that do not have mortgages. But more importantly the people that go through these disasters time and time again have to be moved out of harms way.

We have had enough reports and enough meetings. Talk is cheap and we need to protect people from flooding. While people are trying to dry out their homes, at the same time the administration is rolling back protections that will cause more flooding.

Gov. Chris Christie's Passaic Flood Advisory Commission released its report in February with a series of recommendations that did not include a real plan or funding for buyouts or restoration of flood plains. The same houses keep flooding to the first floor year after year and they need to be bought out and the flood plain restored to protect those homes behind them with less flooding. The report left off limiting sprawling, overdevelopment and impervious cover that are all important aspects to prevent flooding. The report did not address the need to remove dams, fills, and manmade structures that are making flooding worse along the river. Without those key aspects this report is meaningless and the flooding continues year after year. For 30 years we have talked about dealing will flooding on the Passaic River and the commission’s report is another that will most likely sit on the shelf to gather dust.

The definition of insanity is to do the same thing over and over and expect a different outcome. We continue to allow overdevelopment in the Passaic Basin and do not invest in necessary buyout programs and flood plain restoration.

Gov. Christie has placed roll backs on flood hazard rules, removing key protections like zero net fill and stream buffers. He has weakened storm water rules which would require recharging and detention of stormwater as well as buffers. The DEP has proposed a waiver rule that is so vague that virtually any development project can skirt the rules of critical environmental programs. Christie has been weakening the Highlands regulations by attempting to repeal the Highlands Act through appointments to the Highlands Council that are pro-development. Weakening protections in the Highlands will result in more flooding in the Passaic River Basin as the headwaters in the Highlands lose the capacity to store water as a result of development.

The typical forested acre of land will soak up to three inches of water, saving more then a million gallons per acre of downstream flooding. Every time we pave over the forest, we send more waters downstream and put people in harms way.

With Gov. Christie’s weakening of and attempts to repeal the Highlands Act the people who live along the Passaic River will need to buy snorkels. The best way to protect people and property is to move them out of harms way.

While the governor complains about flood after flood in the Passaic Basin, he calls for the weakening of New Jersey’s climate change policy which will lead to more flooding. Gov. Christie also wants to streamline and fast track permits which will increase flooding. Getting rid of protections against sprawl and by extending sewers to environmentally sensitive areas will create more flooding as well. There have been cut backs on staffing at DEP and weakening of rules and regulations, all of which will lead to more flooding for people along the Passaic River.

Gov. Christie’s attack on the environment and weakening regulation will mean more flooding for the people on the Passaic River and other parts of New Jersey. Instead of costly and ineffective flood control projects, the Sierra Club makes the following recommendations on how best to deal with flooding:

Eliminate the Loophole for Redevelopment

Currently, redevelopment projects are exempt from New Jersey’s storm water and flood hazard rules. As we redevelop a state with as much development as New Jersey, we must not miss our one chance to fix the problems of the past. Unless we eliminate this loophole and allow for retrofitting of storm water systems and limiting impervious cover on these sites, no matter what else we may do, flooding will continue to get worse.

Stop the Rollback of Critical Environmental Regulations

The governor is weakening rules on stormwater, flood hazard areas, stream buffers, and the Highlands and the DEP has just proposed a waiver rule that would exempt numerous projects from Department regulation. These policies must be stopped as their implementation only results in more flooding.

Update Maps of Flood Hazard Areas

Many of the maps are thirty years old and some parts of the state do not have maps. Many more people are living in flood prone areas because these maps are so out of date. Without knowledge of where these areas are, we are allowing more development and putting more people in harm’s way. The new maps should take into consideration increased flooding and sea level rise due to global warming.

Eliminate Loopholes that Destroy Headwaters of Sensitive Streams

Most prevalent is the loophole where the state does not have jurisdiction to protect stream drainages smaller than 50 acres. However, it is just these drainage areas that are the most sensitive and crucial to protecting water quality. Once you lose the high quality waters at the headwaters, the rest of the stream suffers.

Expand Funding for Blue Acres

This would be state funding, similar to Green Acres, to acquire properties, remove structures, and restore flood plains to their natural state. This is a critical program that would help residents who want to relocate out of flood plains.

Incorporate Hazard Planning

The state has to incorporate hazard planning into all agencies of government. The concept of hazard planning is such that the state should not spend resources or promote growth in areas that are subject to chronic flooding. We should not allow new people to be put into harm’s way.

Develop Impervious Cover Limits

In order to address the chronic flooding that has occurred in New Jersey, the state needs to develop impervious cover limits in flood-prone watersheds. Impervious cover includes buildings, pavement, and lawns, which do not absorb storm water.

Limit Development in Flood Plains

Building in flood plains creates more flooding and puts more people’s lives and properties at risk. The increase in impervious cover eliminates recharge areas and therefore stricter limits on new development in flood plains should be immediately imposed. There should be zero net fill and no new structures in flood plains.

Implement Stricter Protections for Natural Stream Corridor Vegetation

These vegetative corridors perform important functions by filtering pollution before it reaches the stream and preventing flooding by absorbing more waters. The current practice of mowing the corridor allows runoff to rush into the waters carrying pollutants from roads and fields and increases downstream flooding.

Implement Category One Anti-degradation Requirements

These requirements should be incorporated into the new rules. The same regulations for crossing streams and allowing for new development should not apply to the state’s most sensitive environmental areas where stronger standards are warranted. The outstanding basin water designation should be strengthened to be the equivalent of Category One protection waters in New Jersey and then adopted for the Delaware River basin above Trenton and its tributaries.

Flood Mitigation

Develop basin-wide flood mitigation. Plan to help lessen the impact of flooding on already existing developed neighborhoods. Develop non-structural mechanisms to help diminish the impact of flooding on these communities.

Water Management

We need to better manage our water resources in the region, especially reservoirs, to mitigate flooding, help prevent drought, and maintain the ecological integrity of the river. We need to ensure that there is capacity in our reservoirs to help deal with flooding, but enough water to mitigate drought, and prevent the salt water line on the Delaware River from moving up.

Regional Planning