Rahway River Cleanup Will be Complete by End of Year, Mayor Says

The cleanup of the Rahway River in Cranford should be complete by the end of the year, Mayor Thomas Hannen said at the township's workshop meeting.

Currently, an engineering study is being done on the cleanup, which includes tree removal and desalting. 

“Our goal is to catch this as soon as the engineering studies are done,” Hannen said. 

Permits are still available for the project, which the township is actively monitoring. Cranford has also received a $400,000 grant to begin work. 

The first part would be to remove the trees, Hannen stated, that way once the trees are gone they can begin work to remove the silt that has built up around the fallen trees. 

In the capital budget for this year additional desilting was added, Hannen said.

The funds will be used to either extend the desilting that was already scheduled for this year or use it to desilt around the areas where silt sandbars have been created from the fallen trees. 

“That’s going to have to be cleared out also in order to get the flow the way we would like,” he stated. “The goal is as the water comes in the water goes out of Cranford as quickly as we can get it.” 

The Township is not sure how close to fall cleanup will be completed, Hannen said, but it will be complete by the end of the year.