House Advances Pascrell’s North Jersey Flood Prevention Projects

Water infrastructure and flood management investments pushed by Pascrell on track to become law

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Congressman Bill Pascrell, Jr. (D-NJ-09) announced today that several Army Corps of Engineers’ flood prevention projects throughout North Jersey would be included in the Water Resources Development section (Division H) of the James M. Inhofe National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023.

“From Hurricane Ida to Superstorm Sandy and all the way back to flooding from Floyd, our state is all too familiar with horrific flooding and natural disasters. My office worked tirelessly to fix flood prevention measures for our state that are in desperate need of improvements. I am proud to announce that we are on track for success,” said Congressman Pascrell. “Flood management help for the lower Saddle River, Risers Ditch and the Tenakill River is on the way. Authorizations to improve stormwater and wastewater management are included for Passaic County and Kearny. $2.4 billion is authorized for harbor deepening to make our waterways more accessible to facilitate commerce, promote economic activity and create jobs. These are just a handful of the needed provisions we successfully included in this year’s Water Resources Development bill. This is terrific news for our communities across North Jersey.”

Below is an accounting of projects Congressman Pascrell successfully included:

Lower Saddle River Flood Protection Project. This ongoing flood mitigation study will now be expedited for completion by USACE. The study will provide potential solutions to protect against flooding in communities like Garfield, Saddle Brook, South Hackensack, and Wallington.

River Road Flood Mitigation Project. Authorizes a new feasibility study to examine how to best prevent and protect against flooding along River Road in Edgewater. Due to the road’s low elevation and poor drainage, flooding is a repeated hazard during periods of heavy rainfall. This project can devise solutions to the flooding to protect Edgewater during future storms.

Risers Ditch Drainage Project. Authorizes a new feasibility study to on how the ditch might be a more efficient outlet for storm water. The communities of South Hackensack, Hasbrouck Heights, Little Ferry, Teterboro, and Moonachie are regularly impacted by the ditch’s frequent water flow issues during storms.

Tenakill Flood Mitigation Project. Authorizes a new feasibility study to manage flood events in the Borough of Cresskill. Tenakill Brook is a source of clogging due to poor drainage and Hurricane Ida last year caused massive damage to Cresskill High School. This USACE study will help devise solutions to increase the efficiency of the brook’s water flow during storms and heavy rainfall. The Biden administration recently announced funding requested by Pascrell to begin a study of the Tenakill under section 205 of the Flood Control Act.

Combined Sewer System Wastewater Project. Authorization of $69,900,000 to update Kearny’s century-old sewerage systems in compliance with the Clean Water Act, helping to improve water flow and protect against overflow.

Includes additional authorization for ecosystem studies of the Hudson–Raritan Estuary, which is designated as an estuary of national significance under the Environmental Protection Agency’s National Estuary Program.

Provides for the authorization of a feasibility study for the Peckman River Basin Project, which will help address and mitigate flooding in the area. Also provided for is the authorization of a pilot program to help residents with relocation costs while their home is being elevated to be protected against future flooding events.

New project feasibility study for the Northern New Jersey Inland Flooding for risk management in Hudson, Essex, Union, Bergen, Hunterdon, Morris, Somerset, Warren, Passaic, and Sussex Counties.

Inclusion of the Hudson, Mohawk, Raritan, Passaic, Hackensack, and Bronx River Watersheds and the Hudson River Estuary in the definition of New York-New Jersey Watershed Basin for the purposes of a watershed and river basis assessment.

$1,000,000 authorization for new wastewater infrastructure, stormwater management, and environmental infrastructure in Passaic County.

Authorization of the New York — New Jersey Harbor Deepening Channel Improvements project, authorizing $2,408,268,000 in federal funds for the project.

In June, Congressman Pascrell helped pass the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) of 2022, which included funding and authorization for several of the above listed projects. In March of this year, Rep. Pascrell testified extensively on the need for these projects in this legislation before the Water Resources Subcommittee. A readout of his prepared remarks is available here.

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