RAHWAY RIVER BASIN (fluvial), NJ Flood Risk Management feasibility study
Message from Mayor Brian Andrews: We continue to advance our "All of the Above" flood strategy, which encompasses regional river solutions as well as numerous in-town projects to prepare for the next storm. At our most recent Township Committee Meeting, I presented the Rahway River options which the Army Corps of Engineers Division Headquarters approved (You can find the presentation below.)
The Corps will investigate five "alternatives." The first is a control scenario if no project takes place and we continue to experience more frequent, heavier storms as we have been. The second is additional upstream detention in South Mountain Reservation. Third is a combination plan with focus on channelization -- widening, deepening, and altering the course of the river in areas. Fourth is nonstructural, which includes home elevations and flood property buy-outs. The fifth option, which was added after strong advocacy by Cranford, will study increasing detention in Lenape Park by raising the floodwalls by six feet.
We appreciate the Army Corps of Engineers and New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection for moving this process forward. We look forward to reviewing the Benefit-Cost Ratios of the potential projects as well as a public information session, which we anticipate in the next few months.