Storm Proved Flood Project Protects From 50-Year Storm, But 100-Year Storm?

The storm that dumped several inches of rain on Cranford one month ago goes down as the fourth worst storm on record, flooding Casino Avenue and surrounding streets, as well as parts of Springfield Avenue. But flood damage would have been much worse without the first two phases of Cranford's five-phase flood control plan, according to township officials.

"Without the pump station in action, there probably would have been two to three feet of water on the east side of the river," said Mayor Mark Smith. "It worked very, very well."

Commissioner Dan Aschenbach, who chaired the township's Flood Advisory Committee from 2002 through 2006 as the first two phases were implemented, said those phases not only protected the public safety of residents, but also saved them from flood damage and protected their property values.

"While there were still drainage problems, the pumps put the river water back much quicker than experienced in prior storms," he said. "The stationery pumps permitted the use of our other pumps to be used on the other side of river to put excess water back into the river."

The first two phases of the flood control project worked as follows:

• The express sewer took rainwater that previously flowed over properties, collected it in a large swale and transported it into the river.
• The pump station put back into the river flood waters that backed up or came over the dike.

"The results of these projects included minimal water damage in the large area of the Northeast Quadrant that in the past had flood waters affect their properties," Aschenbach said. "Some streets were bone dry. This storm was ranked the fourth worst storm in recorded history and it measured a 50-year storm, which the project was engineered for."

But last month's storm nearly breached the walls of the dikes.

"We know that engineers saw water right at the top of the dike and rivulets coming through the grass," Smith said, adding that implementation of the additional phases would likely protect the township from 75- or 100-year storms.

Those future phases include the following:

• Phase 2B would tie many of the sewers near Riverside Drive and Glenwood Place into the pump station. The township is seeking federal funding for this project.
• Phases 3 and 4 would raise the height of the river walls from Kenilworth Boulevard to Springfield Avenue. The project is under review by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. These are the most expensive phases, and a timetable is not yet available.
• Phase 5 would include a pump station, possibly near Nomahegan Park, that would protect areas on the west side of the river, the Balmiere Parkway side.

Township officials have been in touch with Cranford's federal representatives for years, and Smith hopes that that persistence will result in federal funds for the project's next phases.

"We've had representatives go to Washington and meet with Rep. Leonard Lance and our senators to make our case," Smith said. "I think we've consistently been in touch with our state and federal officials. They know the problems, they know the project."

"You say 'Cranford,' and staffers know about this ongoing project," he said. "The township has invested considerable money. You say $9-10 million, and they know that this town is serious about the project."