Lake Como Outfall: Protecting a Borough from the Next Storm
When one pipe stands between a community and flooding, redundancy isn’t a luxury. It’s a necessity. Our team provided civil, structural, and hydraulic design services, NEPA environmental review, NJDEP Land Use and Dam Safety permitting, ACOE permitting, and full construction inspection and administration for the installation of a new, pile-supported, 60-inch drainage outfall for Lake Como. The project was designed to reduce flooding and provide critical redundancy in the event of damage to the existing 30-inch outfall pipe, a vulnerability the Borough could no longer afford to leave unaddressed.
The scope includes construction of the approximately 700-foot outfall pipe and associated control structures, reconstruction of conflicting utilities on North Boulevard and Ocean Avenue including manholes and pipes, and full restoration of the project area. Our firm was integral in securing an NJDEP grant funded through HUD CDBG Disaster Recovery funds in the amount of $6,185,000, the largest grant the Borough has ever received.
Building 400 Feet Into the Atlantic
The construction alone tells you what this project demanded. Shoring and excavation extended approximately 400 feet into the Atlantic Ocean, with continuous dewatering efforts to keep the work zone viable. Sixty-foot piles were driven with concrete pier caps to support the 60-inch ductile iron pipe, all within an active coastal environment where conditions change daily.
Our work included all construction administration and inspection required to deliver the project according to specifications, on time, and within budget. That meant review of payment requests, shop drawing review and coordination, project scheduling, change order review and negotiation, contractor RFI management, and meeting coordination. For a Borough that staked its largest-ever grant on this project, the margin for error was zero, and our team delivered accordingly.