Princeton Township residents and officials continued to grapple with chronic flooding along Harry's Brook in the Littlebrook section of the Township Thursday, but the problem, consultants say, is not easily solved, and no quick fix is likely to keep some residents' basements dry.
Joe Skupien, president of the Ringoes-based Stormwater Management Consulting, which is contracted with Princeton Township, cited significant erosion along the stream banks, but upstream development that has exacerbated the problem in recent years.
"Flood plains are natural occurrences," he said, addressing members of the Township's Flood and Stormwater Management Committee. "That channel was not formed by a shovel — it was formed by erosion, likening the regular wear and tear to the flood plain to a heavily used portion of a carpet.
It was the first public municipal discussion of the brook since a September 19 walking tour that showed residents and officials alike what they had already known: this problem is not going away any time soon.
"All streams in the Township flood, but what we have to determine is if this one's flooding more than other streams, and if so, what damage is occurring?" said Township engineer Robert Kiser, adding that surveys of the area were underway to determine the extent of the erosion over the past 30 years. Mr. Skupien added that while increased runoff from development may be a factor in Harry's Brook, it is also likely that flooding over the past 30 years could be a natural event.
The Harry's Brook drainage area extends as far as the center of Princeton Borough, Mr. Skupien said.
Olivia Applegate, a Random Road resident and flood advocate whose property has served as the "poster child" for Township flooding, said much of her land is unusable because of its saturation levels.
But for now, the Township will continue to survey stream banks and search for funding for an analysis of its findings. The Committee is expected to meet again sometime in January.