Westwood Mayor Raymond Arroyo presented this detailed report (we’ve edited it for clarity and length) to the Borough Council and residents on July 16. Arroyo presides this year at the Pascack Valley Mayors Association.
— Editor
Introduction of Schepisi and Auth bills
State Sen. Holly Schepisi bill S2107, which requires the DEP and owners of certain reservoirs to implement flood control measures and authorizes the Office of Emergency Management to order the lowering of reservoir levels in response to severe weather events, was reintroduced in January at the start of the 2024–2025 Legislative session. It was referred to the Senate Environmental and Energy Committee, where it is awaiting consideration. Assemblyman Robert Auth’s companion bill, A427, was also reintroduced in January and referred to the Assembly Environment, Natural Resources, and Solid Waste Committee. It awaits consideration.
State’s draft water supply plan lacks flood mitigation
The state released its draft Water Supply Plan earlier this year for comments prior to the final adoption process. Despite its many references to an increased propensity for flooding in New Jersey, the plan’s recommendations and action items do not include a single clearly defined proposal to address the effects of flooding. A true comprehensive statewide water supply plan must not only recommend but also implement action items to mitigate the impact of flooding on the sate’s water assets. The Pascack Valley Mayors Association provided comments applauding the DEP’s efforts but underscoring the need to include flood mitigation. We await the final version of the plan with the hope that the DEP will consider and address our concerns.
Stevens Institute FIRO study and Rutgers earthquake study
The Stevens Institute team has begun its FIRO study of the drainage basin. Janet Dunn, our OEM weather watcher, has forwarded documentation, per the team’s request, regarding specific weather events they are analyzing.
The Stevens team is preparing to deploy their own sensors along the drainage basin on public lands per location suggestions made by OEM coordinator Darren Blankenbush.
Rutgers is conducting a study on earthquakes, deploying sensors to measure the Earth’s movement along fault lines and applying predictive modeling to the data to know further in advance when a significant quake can be expected.
Although quakes and floods are different natural phenomena, the data gathering and predictive analytics in both studies are applied in pursuit of the same goal: more reliable, early detection so that protocols can be altered to minimize damage.
Karen Hughes, the borough’s point person on flood-related matters, is attempting to obtain historical modeling data for comparison purposes by the FIRO team developing the Stevens model.
County Multi-Jurisdictional All-Hazards Mitigation Plan
Bergen County is revising its Multi-Jurisdictional All-Hazards Mitigation Plan in advance of the 2025 deadline. OEM coordinator Darren Blankenbush and deputy coordinator Karen Hughes are working on ensuring the borough’s information is updated and accurate. Participation is a cost-effective way to satisfy certain requirements for FEMA grants, state and county grant opportunities, and the CRS program.
Boswell’s drone study and grant initiative
Boswell Engineering’s drone study is completed, and we now know there are 128 downed tree obstructions, 45 shoals, and 21 bank erosions along both brooks traveling through Westwood, impeding flow and contributing to local flooding. We expect the other municipalities through which the Pascack and Musquapsink brooks meander will discover similar levels of drainage degradation. We are prioritizing bank reinforcement around two vulnerable sanitary sewer lines to forestall any issues there. We have met with a federal grant writer to initiate discussions on a larger four-town initiative. The four contiguous, participating towns—Washington Township, Westwood, River Vale, and Hillsdale—have completed the drone flyovers and on-the-ground visual inspections. Township and Westwood have the reports in hand, while River Vale and Hillsdale are awaiting Boswell’s release of their reports.
FEMA Home Elevations and Grant Manager RFP
Four home elevations were approved by FEMA earlier this year. The borough has joined with New Milford to issue an RFP for a grant manager to aid the municipalities and residents with the process and paperwork. It’s anticipated the grant will be awarded in August, and the kickoff with the residents will be in late September or October.
Blue Acres Program applications and buyouts
The state’s Blue Acres program received 11 applications from Westwood residents for buyouts under the Hurricane Ida funding, with nine of those applicants completing the secondary application process by the deadline. Four properties are slated for buyouts, with the remaining five waitlisted.
Planning Board initiatives for flood mitigation
Earlier this year, at the Planning Board, we completed our Hazard Vulnerability Assessment and tweaked our master plan to underscore the need to preserve pervious coverage extant in the borough. The more rainwater our lawns and open spaces absorb, the less runoff we send into our catch basins, stormwater lines, and compromised brooks…
Nomination of New CRS coordinator, and flood insurance mitigation
I am nominating Karen Hughes to take over as our CRS coordinator. We think that the work being done by the Planning Board, Environmental, and Shade Tree Committees can improve our rating from 8 to 6 and help mitigate the spiking cost of flood insurance premiums burdening our flood zone residents. Upward pressure on insurance premiums stems not only from inflation – labor, materials, and energy costs associated with covered claims – but also from the increasing frequency of, and more widespread damages caused by, extreme weather events. Some insurers are leaving the market because events like Hurricane Beryl are bankrupting them. That means less competition and higher rates. We are doing what we can in Westwood to mitigate that trend by qualifying for a higher CRS score, which translates into deeper premium discounts for our flood-burdened residents and property owners.