February 22, 2012 THE VILLADOM TIMES IV • Page 3 Mahwah Township officials request help with flood control by Frank J. McMahon The Mahwah Council has unanimously passed a resolution that requests the assistance of the appropriate federal, state, and county agencies in addressing the flood control measures needed to prevent or reduce the flooding of township properties along the Ramapo River, the Mahwah River, and the Masonicus Brook. The resolution acknowledges the insufficient capacity of these bodies of water to handle storms, which has led to flooding and property damage. It points out that proposals to address the severe flooding that occurs in the Ramapo Basin as a result of the insufficient capacity of that river system have been discussed many times for over 40 years without any resolution. The document also calls for decisive action to avoid additional damage that would jeopardize life and property. “Despite numerous studies, discussions, meetings, proposals, and authorizations,” the resolution states, “no construction measures have taken place to mitigate and/or alleviate the repetitive flooding that the township has experienced. “The township council is concerned that the severe flooding compromises emergency access to certain areas in the township and it is further concerned that this flooding adversely impacts on the health, safety, and welfare of the residents who live along these water bodies.” The resolution was sent to the Army Corps of Engineers, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, the President of the United States Senate, the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, United States Senators Frank Lautenberg and Robert Menendez, Governor Chris Christie, State Senator Gerald Cardinale, State Assemblyman Robert Schroeder, State Assemblywoman Holly Schepisi, and other appropriate agencies The resolution was created at the direction of Mahwah Mayor William Laforet in anticipation of the recent regional meeting of municipal officials and emergency management personnel. At that session, which Lafored chaired, participants discussed potential solutions to the flooding problems in Mahwah and other towns along the Ramapo River. They all agreed that flooding has been occurring in their towns more frequently in recent years, yet no action has been taken by any state or federal officials. Laforet said the goal of that meeting was for each affected municipality to pass a resolution containing a Rivers Flood Control Project, was authorized for construction under the Water Resources Development Act of 1986. A design memorandum was completed and approved in September 1987, plans and specifications were substantially complete in 1990, and funds were appropriated. However, the work was never initiated due to the lack of project cooperation agreements between the New York District and the non-federal sponsors, which were the NJDEP and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. ‘Despite numerous studies, discussions, meetings, proposals, and authorizations, no construction measures have taken place to mitigate and/or alleviate the repetitive flooding that the township has experienced.’ mutually agreed upon statement to re-energize the flood projects proposed by the Army Corps of Engineers. According to Ronald Pinzon, project manager, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, flooding has occurred frequently on the Ramapo River, with floods in 1968, 1971, 1973, 1977, 1979, 1980, 1983, 1984, 1987, 1996, and 1999. The 1977 and 1984 floods were the most severe. In September 1999, Tropical Storm Floyd also caused significant damage as did Hurricane Irene, which hit in August 2011. A project involving the construction of features for flood protection totaling 13,000 feet along portions of the Ramapo River, Mahwah River, and Masonicus Brook in Mahwah and Suffern, New York, had previously been authorized according to the ACE. Plans called for the widening and deepening of the channels, sheet pile walls, and bridge modifications. That initiative, known as the Ramapo River and Mahwah