Army Engineers Present Rahway River Study Update at Forums

Residents affected by periodic flooding by the Rahway River have until Tuesday, Feb. 7, to weigh in on proposals to mitigate flooding.

Millburn and other municipalities along the Rahway River have suffered extensive damage from hurricanes such as Floyd in 1999 and Irene in 2011. Damage to homeowners and businesses in the Rahway River basin were estimated to be more than $100 million.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has held several public hearings this January to hear concerns and field questions about a feasibility study and environmental impact statement for a flood mitigation proposal it is studying.

The Corps has evaluated several projects to and examined benefit-cost ratios to determine which projects were in the federal interest to pursue. The proposal tentatively selected is one involving modifications to the Orange Reservoir in South Mountain Reservation and downstream channel improvements.

The total cost of the project, from the reservoir work extending to the City of Rahway, could run between $20 million and $80 million, depending on the integrity of the reservoir dam and whether it meets federal standards. Construction costs will be split, with 65 percent federal and 25 percent state funding. Ten percent of the funding is listed as “local,” which may be shared between Essex and Union counties.

The Rahway River Flood Mitigation Project is included as a priority project in the Federal Water Resource Act of 2016 signed into law by President Barack Obama before leaving office.

The modifications to the reservoir would add two 36-inch outfall pipes to allow the reservoir to be drained days before a major storm event. Downstream channel improvements through Cranford include one-and-a-half miles of channel deepening and lifting or acquisition of flood-prone properties in Rahway.

Dan Aschenbach, a member of the Mayors’ Council on Rahway River Flood Control, attended two of the public hearings. In an email to The Item, Aschenbach said the hearings had no surprises.

“The Orange Reservoir Dam modification is right now the major part of the Project cost,” Aschenbach stated. “This is due to a conservative assumption that the dam will be replaced. That is not expected, but a study will be done to verify.”

Aschenbach said Millburn would be the immediate beneficiary of the work on the dam.

“The Mayors’ Council urges Millburn residents to urge the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to expedite its final review,” he stated.

Besides Aschenbach, who is a former mayor of Cranford, the Mayors Council includes mayors or representatives from Millburn, Maplewood, Orange, Rahway, Springfield, Cranford, Union and Kenilworth.

Millburn’s representative, Township Committeewoman Dianne Eglow, told The Item she will travel with members of the Mayors’ Council to Washington, D.C., on Feb. 15 to lobby New Jersey legislators and keep the project moving forward.

The Feasibility Report and Environmental Impact Statement, and instructions for submitting written and email comments are available on the Corps’ website at www.nan.usace.army.mil/Rahway.

General questions regarding the Rahway River Basin Flood Risk Management Feasibility Study can be directed to Ms. Rifat Salim, Project Manager, at Rifat.Salim@usace.army.mil or 917-790-8215.

Source: NorthJersey.com