Posted on November 20, 2023
The dredging of Taylor Park pond is a post-Ida clean up project. It is a project that Millburn Township initially submitted to FEMA for reimbursement to desilt and dredge what was deposited in the pond from this powerful storm. We will be submitting a 75% reimbursement of these costs through FEMA, with the Township being responsible for the other 25%. The bidding process has been followed properly to ensure that we can be eligible for this funding.
It is understood by me, and certainly hope it was not characterized differently, that draining the pond prior to a storm offers very limited flood mitigation and time prior to heavy rainfall. However, it has been our mindset that any addition of flood mitigation or time, no matter how small, is critical in a storm event. It takes very little effort to open the bypass and drain the pond prior to a storm, and we feel these efforts to gain only a few minutes or a little retention of water are warranted.
I cannot comment on the design of the Taylor Park dam and perhaps Mr. Bambara has a point that he can discuss with the Township’s Engineering Department. The dam was redesigned and built in 2013 and 2014 and did in fact eliminate flood gates that were a part of the old structure. In addition, Mr. Bambara is correct that the top level of the pond is fixed by the height of the weir dam that was installed. The issue is that the depth of water in Taylor Park pond is also being constrained by the amount of sediment that has been left there over the years and specifically from Hurricane Ida. Again, it will offer some improvement to the depth of the pond and the amount of retention pre-storm, but it should not be characterized as a major fix but more of putting the pond back to the depth it had been. It will buy a little time, but time can be very precious when it comes to flooding.
