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State provides the aid in attempt to alleviate flooding

Pequannock, Pompton Lakes, Riverdale and Wayne have been given $350,000 by the state Department of Environmental Protection to clear the Passaic and Ramapo rivers in an attempt to improve the flow and alleviate flooding problems.

The aid is a step in the Christie administration's ongoing efforts to attempt to ease the impact of flooding in the flood-plagued river basin.

The towns will jointly contract for stream and river flow improvements. The DEP already has awarded permits for these efforts, while the towns are preparing the scope of work and contract documents in anticipation of going out to bid on Dec.1.

"There is no silver bullet that can stop flooding in this river basin,'' DEP Commissioner Bob Martin said Wednesday. "But this contract is a positive step forward to help minimize the impact of flooding that has disrupted the lives of so many residents in this region. It is just one of a long list of continuing steps identified in Governor Christie's 15-Point Passaic River Flood Plan, which seeks to move people out of harm's way and to provide some relief to flood-weary residents.''

Work to be done under the contract includes the removal of flow constrictors such as fallen trees and sediment shoals from the rivers, which may provide reductions in floodwater elevations by improving river and stream flow.

The Pequannock and Ramapo rivers flow into the Pompton River, which is a tributary of the Passaic River. In some areas, the flows of the Pequannock and Ramapo are blocked by dead trees, brush, and natural growth, plus sediment deposits that have formed near bridges or abutments, requiring cleaning or removal to allow the rivers to flow freely. Eliminating the obstacles is expected to provide at least some localized future relief to some floodplain residents.

The Passaic River Flood Advisory Commission earlier this year unveiled a 15-point plan to mitigate the impact of floods in Morris, Passaic and Bergen counties. It targeted long- and short-term steps to reduce flooding, minimize the impacts of floods, better prepare for the periodic flooding and improve efforts to help flood victims, who have been particularly hard hit this year due to severe weather.

The package of small and large measures include enhanced efforts to buy flood-prone properties, elevate homes in flood areas, improve the operation of the Pompton Lake floodgates, increase river de-snagging and shoal dredging efforts, create larger flood water storage areas, steer future development away from flood zones, create better water flow in Passaic Basin rivers, and directs the DEP to expedite permits for county and municipal projects aimed at eliminating or reducing flooding.

The Passaic River watershed is about 935 square miles, with 84 percent located in New Jersey and the remainder in New York State. The Passaic has seven major tributaries: the Whippany, Rockaway, Pompton, Pequannock, Wanaque, Ramapo, and Saddle rivers, all of which have periodic flooding problems.

—TOM HESTER SR., NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM