ASCACK VALLEY—Westwood mayor Ray Arroyo says the nonprofit, advisory New Jersey League of Municipalities has signaled it will formally endorse legislation sought by the 10-member Pascack Valley Mayors Association: S-790 and its companion, A4200.
The legislation would impart a flood mitigation duty upon all water management facilities throughout the state.
Referring to a letter the mayors sent to NJLM president William Pikolycky on Aug. 8, Arroyo told Pascack Press on Aug. 30 that the league has indicated it will support the legislation. “We are just waiting for their official sign-off.”
The letter, addressed to Pikolycky in Trenton, signals the undersigned mayors of Emerson, Hillsdale, Montvale, Old Tappan, Oradell, Park Ridge, River Vale, Township of Washington, Westwood, and Woodcliff Lake are looking for changes that Veolia Water would have to adjust to.
“Many water providers are exempt from this [flood mitigation] duty and therefore … given no consideration in how the water is managed within their reservoirs and under their control. They are only responsible for maximizing the asset, which is released during storms to protect the structural integrity of the dams.”
The mayors said, “This omission has caused local flooding, property damage and psychological trauma, as residents and businesses weather an increasing number of rain events — due to climate change.”
They add, “There are 709 reservoirs in New Jersey. Some number of them will flood downstream properties, as we, in the Pascack Valley, are experiencing. Unlike coastal flooding that storms like Sandy will generate, fluvial (river) flooding is particularly susceptible to runoff and sediment accumulation over time.”
They said, “Add in a reactionary, rather than a preemptive, release of water from an upstream reservoir and the situation can quickly move from bad to worse. Releasing water during storms, while necessary to prevent the structural failure of the dams, contributes to bank erosion and shoal formation by repeatedly sending swift water into the long-neglected creeks and brooks.”
The mayors said, “That standard operating procedure is surely impacting flora and fauna ecosystems both above and below the water surface. This is a statewide issue, experienced by our constituents.”
The mayors also said “overdevelopment in northern Bergen County along the Pascack Valley drainage reservoir basin has exacerbated runoff. Even seemingly modest rainfall amounts can cause our low-lying creeks and brooks to crest their banks.”
Unaddressed, the problem will get only worse, they said. They noted “The capacity of these channels has been greatly diminished by a half-century accumulation of silt and deadfall.”
Appealing for support for the measures as a public good, the mayors said, “We hope you will see the both the necessity and the urgency for enacting S-790 and A-4200.”