Brick Flood Mitigation Meetings Set

BRICK, NJ — A series of community meetings have been scheduled to gather information and input on ways to address flooding that has been plaguing several waterfront neighborhoods in the Brick Township.

There are four meetings scheduled over the next two weeks, all via Zoom conference calls.

Residents have been pressing Brick Township officials for answers and solutions as the flooding of streets in some neighborhoods has worsened in the last several years. Homeowners from the Normandy Beach section have been a persistent presence at meetings, both in person and on the virtual meetings that have been held since the onset restrictions on public gatherings because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The township hired ACT Engineers in May to come up with possible flood mitigation solutions. Part of the planning process is meeting with residents to collect information.

ACT personnel also are "reviewing and enhancing the high-definition aerial topographic mapping in low-lying areas of the township," officials said when the company was hired.

Flooding has been an increasing problem in at least a dozen neighborhoods, Brick Township Business Administrator Joanne Bergin has said.

Normandy Beach residents have been some of the most vocal about the issue. The flooding has been so bad that roads in the barrier island neighborhood have been impassable. Read more: Persistent Flooding Leaves Brick Residents Seeking Help, Answers

The township has tried flapper valves to try to prevent Barnegat Bay tidal water from washing in through the bulkheads, but the flappers had the reverse effect of trapping rainwater runoff.

Residents have grown increasingly unhappy, demanding a timeframe during the May 26 township council meeting. Brick officials declined to give a hard timeline.

In the meantime, the township has entered a joint services agreement with Toms River to raise roads in the Normandy Beach neighborhood, which spans the two towns, in hopes of alleviating the road flooding.

Here are the dates posted on the township's website for affected neighborhoods. The link to each meeting gives specifics to join the Zoom meeting.

Monday: Shore Acres, including Seawood Harbor, 7 p.m. Click here for the Zoom meeting link. Join by phone by calling 646-876-9923. The meeting ID is 859 1692 7804 and the password is 229883

June 11: Normandy Beach, 7 p.m. Click here for the Zoom meeting link. Join by phone by calling 646-876-9923. The meeting ID is 896 8941 9509 and the password is 195263

June 16: Beaver Dam Creek Watershed, 7 p.m. Click here for the Zoom meeting link. Join by phone by calling 646-876-9923. The meeting ID is 859 1692 7804 and the password is 229883

June 22: Cherry Quay including Tunesbrook Drive, 7 p.m. Click here for the Zoom meeting link. Join by phone by calling 646-876-9923. The meeting ID is 879 7739 5340 and the password is 588831

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