DeCroce: Flood Relief Efforts Must Go Beyond Dam Study

District 26 Assemblywoman BettyLou DeCroce said the recent Department of Environmental Protection report on the impact of the Pompton Lakes dam on downstream flooding appears to eliminate one concern about flooding. But she added that the study makes clear that there is a need for a  long-term solution to flooding in the region. 

“While the report eliminates the dam operation as a major contributor to the recent series of devastating floods in the region, it raises concern about what needs to be done to protect homes and businesses in the Passaic River Basin,” said DeCroce in a statement.

“The DEP and its consultant did a good job with their flooding report and their efforts are a reminder that Gov. Chris Christie’s administration has not forgotten about the issue,” she said.

“But for people who have seen their homes and all their cherished possessions destroyed by raging flood waters, there are still a lot of unanswered questions about how to deal with flooding and that is a concern to me,” added the Assemblywoman. 

The 600-page report on flooding in the Passaic River basin was done in  response to the recommendations of the governor’s Passaic River Basin Flood Advisory Commission to evaluate the downstream consequences of the floodgate operations.  The DEP retained the services of AECOM to evaluate the operational impacts of the Pompton Lakes Dam Floodgate Facility in reference to significant flood events including those relating to Hurricane Irene, which damaged many homes in Parsippany and nearby communities last August. 

The report, unveiled last week in Lincoln Park, concluded that the floodgate operation, in which water from Pompton Lake Reservoir was released prior to heavy rains, did not contribute to the increased flooding downstream from the dam.

“The good news is the Pompton Lakes dam is not making flooding worse. Now we have to get to the next step and put the efforts of the state and federal government into finding flooding solutions that protect people’s lives and property,” said DeCroce.

 A $121 million federal buyout of flood-prone homes in North Jersey is ongoing and some Lake Hiawatha homes are being raised to protect them from raging rivers.

More than 50 township homes were designated as severely damaged, meaning that the buildings must be either raised above the 100-year flood line or destroyed.

Parsippany officials are also looking into the possibility of buying some of the properties and turning them into open space should federal efforts not go far enough. 

“While I appreciate the federal buyout program and the state’s efforts to help flooded communities, the reality is that buyouts and raising homes are helpful, but they are not the global solution we need,” said DeCroce, who lives in Parsippany.

“We can’t buy out every home and business that floods. And buyouts will have a detrimental impact on tax revenue and employment in the region,” added the assemblywoman. 

“I believe we need more help from the federal government to create levees and flood walls that will keep the rivers from flooding our neighborhoods, our highways and our businesses,” said DeCroce.