Before and After: Valley Road Dam, Waterfall, Bridge and Jackson's Pond in Clark

In anticipation of Hurricane Irene, the Union County Public Works Department opened the floodgates at the Clark Reservior Dam, Bloodgood Dam and Valley Road Dam. Water levels at all three reserviors behind those dams dropped a number of inches to increase the capacity of water the waterways could accept. Despite the preemptive planning and action, the Valley Road Dam at Jackson's Pond in Clark has overflowed its banks at Valley Road and flooded the roadway and several homes.

Attached are before and after photos of the Valley Road Dam and the Jackson's Pond reservior behind it. The before shots show the waterfall with floodgate open, no water coming over the falls and significantly lower water levels than usual. The after shots speak for themselves. 

The Valley Road Bridge is under water and closed to all traffic at this time. Despite the break in the rain, the Rahway River continues to rise from floodwaters gushing downstream from Cranford, Springfield and other communities experiencing flooding upstream. Police have cordoned off the area and are advising onlookers to stay back from the rushing torrents. They could easily lose their footing in the rapid current and be swept downstream.