During Hurricane Irene, the high velocity of uncontrolled stormwater caused accelerated erosion that carved out deep ravines in the terrain of New Providence. These ravines, between 20-30 ft wide and 10-15 ft deep, began to impact the interior roadways and residential properties. These channels also fell within the boundaries of the Passaic River Parkway, a recreational greenway that is part of the Union County Master Plan, and were dissecting some of the popular waterfront walking trails, creating a safety hazard.

Expedited timelines and engineering design modifications to the outfalls enabled the Borough to obtain a FEMA Federal Assistance Grant and General (GP11) permit from the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) to reconstruct the outfalls in the wetland. The Borough also received a Somerset-Union Soil Conservation District certification for the bank stabilization to repair the two worst outfalls. The most significant element of this project was the Borough’s decision to make modifications to the original outfall design, thereby improving the existing system to withstand future storm damage and keeping the project within the constraints of the NJDEP General (GP11) permit. This decision  eliminated the need to trigger a more costly customized NJDEP permit, which would have required a more lengthy approval process without a guarantee of approval. The Borough could not risk losing the funding by missing the FEMA deadline.

NJSME 2015 Project of the Year – Honor Award
Municipal Intergovernmental Cooperation