Feds Throw More Money At Ending Flooding In Passaic River Basin

PASSAIC COUNTY, NJ — Improvements and more accountability could be coming to a project designed to improve a flood warning system and reduce flooding in the Passaic River Flood Basin.

The Fiscal Year 2019 Energy and Water Development Appropriations bill passed the House Appropriations Committee this week. The legislation includes a $668,000 appropriation for monitoring of the Passaic River Flood Warning System. The system is comprised of 57 gages that monitor the water levels of rivers and streams throughout the basin.

The legislation would also appropriate $2.1 billion to help reduce flood and storm damage, $190 million more than what was appropriated in 2018.

The bill would also require the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to update Congress with regular status updates on the Passaic River Basin Mainstem project. The project is designed to install levees and floodwalls and improve and modify dams in the basin. About 2.5 million people in the basin.

The 935-square-mile basin has experienced regular floods in the past 50 years, with the worst coming in 1984 and in 2011 with Tropical Storm Irene.

"“This bill includes strong funding for the Army Corps of Engineers – $451 million more than last year," said Appropriations Committee Chairman Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen (NJ-11th). "Projects supported by this funding are vital to keeping our local port, the New York-New Jersey harbor, open for business and to protect people, businesses, and infrastructure from damages caused by floods and coastal storms."

Related: Officials: Cooperation Between Agencies is Key to Alleviating Flooding in the Passaic River Basin

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Image: Patch file photo of the Pompton River Dam in Pompton Plains