Wednesday, May 15, 2013
The commission would work on flooding issues in Rockland and Bergen waterways like the Pascack Brook.
A group of lawmakers from New Jersey and New York met in Pearl River, N.Y. Wednesday to urge Gov. Andrew Cuomo to sign a bill to create a bi-state flood commission. The commission would address flooding issues in waterways that flow between Rockland and Bergen Counties, including the Pascack Brook. Gov. Chris Christie signed New Jersey's version of the bill early last year. District 39 Assemblywoman Holly Schepisi joined the other lawmakers to support the creation of the 18-member commission, which would address issues affecting the Hackensack, Ramapo and Mahwah Rivers, as well as their tributaries. “Although separated by the state border, residents in Bergen and Rockland counties share a common problem — widespread and out of control …
Wednesday, April 3, 2013
The National Flood Insurance Program offers discounts to residents of towns that participate in its Community Rating System.
A federal program could save Westwood residents 10 percent on their flood insurance rates, Councilman Ray Arroyo said Tuesday night. The National Flood Insurance Program's (NFIP) Community Rating System offers a point system similar to that used by Sustainable Jersey, but with flood mitigation, according to Arroyo. The benefits of the program are reduced flood insurance rates for property owners in flood plains while simultaneously taking some action to better prepare for floods, he said. "It's all geared toward better management of the flood plain," Arroyo said. Depending on how many points a town earns by participating in various flood plain-related programs, they can earn a discount of between 5 and 45 percent on residents' flood …
Thursday, March 21, 2013
An attorney for the Hillsdale & Westwood Flood Solution Group said more changes need to be made to minimize flooding.
Westwood officials still want the Department of Environmental Protection to order an operations change at the Woodcliff Lake Reservoir as was recommended in a 2011 report, Mayor John Birkner said this week. Members of the Hillsdale & Westwood Flood Solution Group said the change alone would not be enough. United Water, which owns the reservoir, keeps the water level slightly higher in the summer than in the winter. A 2011 report prepared for Westwood by Boswell Engineering recommended changing operations at the reservoir to maintain the lower level all year. Water which leaves the reservoir flows into the Pascack Brook, which flooded some homes five times in 2011. Birkner said the change could "mitigate a certain degree of flooding." …
Thursday, March 7, 2013
The Hillsdale & Westwood Flood Solution Group's attorney said some flooding along the Pascack Brook can be stopped.
The Hillsdale & Westwood Flood Solution Group, an organization of residents affected or concerned by flooding, offered to work more closely with the Hillsdale government during a borough council meeting Tuesday night. Donald MacLachlan, an attorney representing the group, said that the council should form a committee tasked with advising the governing body on resolving the flooding problem along the Pascack Brook. MacLachlan said the committee could help with formulating a plan and also finding funding for any projects needed for the plan. The state government is currently "highly sensitive" to flooding issues, he said. The upcoming United Water project to upgrade the dam at the Woodcliff Lake Reservoir is one focus of the group, but not …
Monday, October 29, 2012
The Pascack Brook did not come close to flood stage Monday, and not much more rain is expected, according to the Hillsdale Office of Emergency Management.
Updated at 9:25 p.m. Hillsdale has canceled its flood watch, according to a message from the borough's Office of Emergency Management. As of 8:45 p.m. Monday, the Pascack Brook in Westwood had not passed two feet, according to the National Weather Service. The brook reaches flood stage at five feet. OEM officials said they expected only one more inch of rain through the night. High winds have knocked down numerous trees around the area and knocked out power for some residents, though the exact extent of power outages was not immediately clear Monday night. Earlier Monday, residents of flood-prone neighborhoods in Hillsdale and Westwood said they were upset that the Woodcliff Lake Reservoir was not lowered more as Hurricane Sandy approached…
Friday, October 26, 2012
Officials hope the reservoir will be able to lessen the severity of flooding when Hurricane Sandy hits.
Updated at 8:20 p.m. United Water will perform a controlled release of water from the Woodcliff Lake Reservoir before Hurricane Sandy hits, state officials announced Friday night. The release will take place over a period of 20 to 30 hours. Lake Tappan and the Oradell Reservoir will also be lowered. "These actions are necessary due to the potentially unprecedented nature of the storm that is heading our way," Governor Chris Christie said in a press release. "A great deal of rainfall is expected which could cause major flooding, so we are taking every step we can to try to mitigate the potential flooding that could occur." Sandy is expected to make landfall in New Jersey Monday. Local officials had asked the utility to consider releasing …
The National Weather Service has predicted heavy rain and flooding in Westwood, Hillsdale and Washington Township early next week.
Updated at 3:07 p.m. Local officials are asking residents to prepare for Hurricane Sandy before it hits New Jersey early next week. The National Weather Service issued a hazardous weather outlook for Bergen County, warning that heavy rain, floods and high winds could hit the area, depending on which way Hurricane Sandy goes. Some forecasters have called Sandy a "Frankenstorm" as it may bring an unusual mix of hurricane and winter storm conditions. Woodcliff Lake Reservoir Local officials have asked United Water to release water from the Woodcliff Lake Reservoir and other area reservoirs before Sandy hits so as to allow the reservoirs to catch as much of the storm water as they can. The Woodcliff Lake Reservoir was about four feet below …
Wednesday, October 24, 2012
A group of volunteers from the Woodcliff Lake office of Wallenius Wilhelmsen Logistics waded through the Pascack Brook in search of trash Tuesday.
A team of volunteers from Wallenius Wilhelmsen Logistics' Woodcliff Lake office joined a crew from the Hackensack Riverkeeper to clean trash out of the Pascack Brook Tuesday. Hackensack Riverkeeper is a local group which works to clean and preserve area waterways. This was the sixth time employees from WWL volunteered with them. Riverkeeper last cleaned this area of the Pascack Brook, where it flows through Westvale Park and Pascack Brook County Park, about 10 years ago according to Bill Sheehan, the group's founder. Back then, the brook was much messier — they pulled bikes and shopping carts out of the water — but volunteers did still find some unusual items in the woods around the brook Tuesday, including an old metal drum and other …
The program for Pascack Valley firefighters will train them in rescuing people in dangerous storms and other "swiftwater" conditions.
Swiftwater training for Pascack Valley firefighters, which had been scheduled for this weekend, will not take place until next spring at the earliest, according to Hillsdale Deputy Fire Chief Jason Durie. There was apparently a scheduling issue between the Pascack Valley Fire Chiefs Association and the company which conducts the training, Durie said. The Association may choose a new date at their next meeting, but a specific one has not yet been set. The training will prepare firefighters to deal with rescues during so-called "swiftwater" conditions, such as those in the Pascack Brook during heavy rainstorms. United Water is paying for the training, according to company rep Rich Henning. Westwood Councilman Jay Sciara said at a council …
Thursday, October 11, 2012
Hillsdale wants an engineer who specializes in dams to review United Water's plan for the Woodcliff Lake Reservoir Dam.
Hillsdale officials are making a second attempt to find an engineer who specializes in dams to review United Water's plan to upgrade the dam at the Woodcliff Lake Reservoir. Officials, citing concern that the project could increase flooding along the Pascack Brook, had initially sent out a call for bids over the summer, with a limit of $10,000 to spend on the project. Mayor Max Arnowitz previously told Patch he hoped to have an engineer finish a report by September. They only received one response, with a quote of $12,500, according to borough administrator Jonathan DeJoseph. Now the borough is going to make a second call for bids, and they're upping the limit to $12,500. DeJoseph said they hope to get more responses with the higher budget…
Karen
4:31 pm on Wednesday, May 15, 2013
Funny how Schepisi tries to take credit for a commission that owes its existence to Schroeder. Was he invited to the meeting or did she forget to tell him about it? http://www.politickernj.com/54074/assembly-approves-schroeder-bill-address-flooding-bergen-rockland-counties more ›