Flooding Fix is Simple For Westwood Neighborhood, Engineer Says

The solution to flooding on one Westwood street may be as simple as installing a larger drain pipe, according to borough engineer Stephen Boswell.

Officials have been looking at the flooding problem on Newark Avenue since several residents brought the issue to their attention earlier this fall. Unlike some other parts of town that flood, most of the Newark Avenue homes are located several feet above the flood plain.

Newark Avenue resident Claire Kellersaid that they had experienced five floods in the past 13 months, with some storms causing 2 or 3 feet of water after just 10 or 15 minutes of rain.

Mary Jo Guadagno, another Newark Avenue resident, speculated that the flooding may have been caused by water flowing down from other roads.

"We have flooded on that street, tremendously," Guadagno said.

Boswell said Tuesday that he believed the problem could be fixed by simply replacing an 18-inch pipe with a 24- or 30-inch pipe. 

"Downstream there's a 24-inch, and there's no problem downstream," Boswell said.

The work could likely be performed in-house for a cost of just $2,000 or $3,000 if there are no unexpected problems, Boswell estimated.