New Administration To Focus On Fixing Flooding In Berkeley

BERKELEY, NJ — Flooding is expected when you live close to the water, but it seems to have become more and more widespread in recent years. And several recent winter storms have only exacerbated the issue in Berkeley. But the new Mayor John Bacchione said his administration hopes to fix this.

Flooding is particularly bad in the Glen Cove section of town, Bacchione noted at a recent Township Council meeting. Narragansette and Bayview are frequent flooders.

"I had a conversation with our engineering, Jim Oris in particular, to come up with some plans" to address flooding in these areas, Bacchione said.

He said he hoped to get some grants to help raise Bayview, which is surrounded by marsh.

"We got to get out there and get these projects done," said Councilman Jim Byrnes, a longtime proponent of fixing flooding issues in town.

Byrnes suggested the township look at an ordinance where if homeowners are to rebuild, they have to rebuild their lowest slab at least eighteen inches higher than the road. This would give the township an advantage so if they came to raise the roads, it wouldn't dump all the runoff water into houses.

The flooding is going to be a big project, he said.

"We just can't be going out putting Band-Aids on puddles," Byrnes said.

"If we can get some grants, that's a project in the near future," Bacchione said.