Passaic River Flooding

Historical Crests Development Stormwater and Runoff De-Snagging

Dams & Traprock Flood Gates Lowering Reservoirs Flood Commissions

Buyouts & Elevations Flood Insurance Current River Levels

Passaic River Flooding

Officials Wont Open Gates- January 8, 2024 - NorthJersey.com

Press to Evict Homeowners From Flood Zones - March 11, 2020 - New York Times

Officials Outline Three Possible Solutions To Flooding - March 7, 2014 - The Record

Officials Ask DEP To Prep Reservoirs For Flood Season - March 23, 2014 - The Record

Senate To Vote On Flood Insurance Premiums Hike - January 8, 2014 - CBSNews.com

Historical Crests on the Passaic River at Little Falls 1900 thru 1939 Data from NWS

Historical Crests on the Passaic River at Little Falls 1940 thru 1979

Historical Crests on the Passaic River at Little Falls 1980 thru 2019

Historical Crests on the Passaic River at Little Falls 2020 thru Present

Development

Among other development in the basin Willowbrook Mall was built in the mid 1960's prior to many environmental restrictions on wetlands development. Elevation of the property there had been at and below that of the streets that today run between it's perimeter and the Passaic River. The land was backfilled and raised near eight foot on average on what had previously been farms, woods, streams and ponds leaving the streets there leveed between the mall and the river. The clear waters of Singac Brook were diverted from its' original path to enter the Passaic River along Fairfield Road between Route 80 and Route 46. The remains of its mouth between Riverside and Riverlawn Drives was then used for unfiltered parking lot drainage, became stagnant and was eventually culvertized. While the mall wasn't the only development to compromise wetlands it was one of the largest single projects for the area. Older residents of those streets note that flooding hadn't been a problem until 1968, not long after the mall had been built. Today development throughout the watershed risks reducing the ability of those lands to absorb rainwaters which with development, will instead be collected over shingles and asphalt and funnelled into stormdrains feeding directly into the brooks and streams that flow into the river making it rise faster...and higher.

Effects of Urban Developement on Floods - USGS

Governor Talks New Milford Flood Prevention - May 2, 2012 - NJ.com

New Jersey Highlands

Summary of NJ Highlands Water Protection And Planning Act - Rutgers

New Jersey Highlands Council Website

DEP Guidance For The Highlands Water Protection And Planning Act

Will Christie Nominees Weaken Water Protection Act? - May 19, 2011 - NJ.com

To Save Highlands Act, Pay Off Landowners - May 29, 2011 - NJ.com

An Unhappy Anniversary for the New Jersey Highlands - August 11, 2011 - NJSpotlight

Highlands Act Saves Thousands of Acres But Causes Friction - October 26, 2011 - NJ.com

Highlands Council Votes To Oust Director - March 16, 2012 - NJ.com

Governor Christie Undermining Highlands Act - April 22, 2012 - NJ.com

Stormwater and Runoff

During heavy rains the combined sewer system in Philadelphia often becomes overloaded and discharges raw sewage into the Schuykill and Deleware Rivers. To comply with EPA regulations the city is reducing the amount of rainwater entering it's storm drains to begin with through the use of permeable roads, rainbarrels, raingardens, vegetated roofs, new trees and new parks. This approach helps prevent rainfall from entering the waterways too quickly while providing a more natural level of filtration. See Stormwater and Runoff for information.

De-Snagging (Clearing The River Of Trees And Branches)

Excerpt from The Annual Report of the State Geologist of New Jersey for 1869

"All the work of throwing trees and roots out of the river between Two Bridges and Horseneck Bridge, while these obstructions remain below (the level of traprock and Beatties Dam), is so much time and labor lost. One might as well throw trees and stones out of a mill-pond to make the water run, while there is a good tight dam backing it up."

Bill To Direct $3M For River De-Snagging - August 8, 2013 - The Record

Bill Would Ease River Cleanup Permiting - December 9, 2015 - Suburban Trends

Morris Canal Feeder Dams

History Blocks Possible Fix For Flooding - August 24, 2010 - The Record

Pequannock Concerned With Plan For Feeder Dams - July 3, 2011 - NorthJersey.com

Feeder Dam Removal Worries Pequannock Officials - March 28, 2012 - NorthJersey.com

State Feasibility Study Of Removal Of Pompton and Pequannock Dams - June 2012

DEP Decides Not To Demolish Dams - January 9, 2013 - Herald News

Officials Disappointed With Dam Study Results - February 7, 2013 - NorthJersey.com

Beatties Dam & Traprock at Two Bridges

Excerpt from the book, 'The Passaic River: Past, Present, Future'

"These (mills) began operation in the early 1770's. To provide for power to this industry, (Captain James) Gray dammed the river at the head of the Little Falls. The dam caused problems. When the river rose, the water spilled over the banks upstream and onto the nearby farm lands. The farmers suffered crop losses and asked Gray to remove the dam or lower it in periods of high water. Gray did nothing, so the farmers took matters into their own hands. Armed with crowbars, sledges, and other tools they descended on the dam, and down it went. This resulted in a lawsuit between Gray and the farmers, and, while initial court decisions favored Gray, the matter was not fully settled prior to the (American) Revolution." "His revenge for the dam wrecking was to lead a company of irregulars in raids on the farms in the Little Falls vicinity. During these sorties farms were plundered, homes burned, and horses and cattle driven away."

Annual Report of the State Geologist of New Jersey for 1869 e-book

Vicinity of Beatties Dam Flood Control Study (pdf) - August 1989 - USACE

Report Calls For Reexamination of Beatties Dam - February 24, 2011 - Herald News

Engineers Find Solution To End Flood Woes - October 19, 2011 - NewJerseyHills.com

Demolish Dam, Say Engineers - November 17, 2011 - NewJerseyHills.com

Ramapo River / Pompton Lake Flood Gates - Began Operating February 2007

The Passaic Flood of 1903 - Archive.org

Laughtenberg-Menendez Flood Control Project - March 22, 2006

Some Doubt Effectiveness of Flood Control Projects - July 30, 2006 - The Record

NJDEP Flood Control

Flood Gates at Crossroads - October 14, 2010 - NorthJersey.com

More Eyes On The Dam - March 14, 2011 - NorthJersey.com

Pleasureland - March 21, 2011 - Belle Of Liberty's Blog

Laughtenberg Questions Army Corp - April 13, 2011 - YouTube.com

Firm To Investigate Floodgates - September 02, 2011 - NorthJersey.com

DEP Still Working On Floodgate Report - February 15, 2012 - Wayne Patch

AECOM Floodgates Operation Report - April 12, 2012

Report: Heavy Rains, Not Dam, Have Caused Flooding Increase - April 13, 2012 - NJ.com

Flood Gate Report Upsets Officials - April 19, 2012 - Wayne Today

New Flood Gate Study Urged- April 20, 2012 - NorthJersey.com

Jersey Prepares For Sandy's Worst - October 27, 2012 - The Record

Lowering Lake Before Storm Spared Area Flooding - October 31, 2012 - NJ.com

Videos of Pomton Lake Flood Gates / Hamburg Turnpike

Lowering Lakes and Reservoirs

     Lowering the water levels in reservoirs would allow them room to accept and store rainwater
     that would otherwise overflow directly into the rivers, potentially contributing to downstream
     flooding.

     New Jersey Assembly Bill A-267 / S-1406 - Introduced January 2012
     Requires DEP and owners of reservoirs to implement certain flood control measures, and
     authorizes the Office of Emergency Management to order lowering of reservoirs in response
     to severe weather events.

     New Jersey Assembly Bill A-1069 - Introduced January 2012
     Authorizes Office of Emergency Management to order lowering of reservoir levels prior to
     certain severe weather events.

Boros Were Ready For Sandy's Wrath - October 31, 2012 - North Jersey.com

Officials Ask DEP To Prep Reservoirs For Flood Season - March 27, 2014 - North Jersey.com