Flood Mitigation Creates Waves; Residents Are Calling for Action

Matthew Hersh

The Princeton Township Flood Control Committee met last Thursday in its first public meeting to address recent resident concerns regarding the rising tide of flood woes in the Township. The meeting began the lengthy process of addressing the Township's flooding issues by looking at all factors individually.

About 40 residents, largely from the Harry's Brook and Stony Brook parts of the Township, attended the meeting to express fears for their homes, safety, and concerns about elevated flood marks.

According to the Township Engineering Department, Storm Water Management Consulting (SWM), and the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), the rise in flooding can be attributed to the increase in rainfall after a time of extended drought, increased amounts of impervious surfaces being built throughout the Borough and Township, and the building of larger homes on Township lots that once housed more modest-sized homes.

However, while the meeting was set to outline steps on how to improve conditions for homes that fall in the Township's various floodplains, residents took advantage of the forum to underline the actual extent of damage caused by flooding.

Olivia Applegate of Random Road, who has been an advocate for residents of the flood-plagued Harry's Brook neighborhood on the east end of the Township, showed a video put together by her son Jesse to illustrate the damage caused by the flooding.

She added that Harry's Brook Basin is no longer effective due to the amount of flooding, which, she says, occurs each time there is substantial rainfall.

"Harry's Brook Basin is saturated [and] we are alarmed and frightened," she said.

However, Richard Olsson, chair of the Flood Control Committee, said that while the video indicated intense flooding, the fact that most houses in the area were not experiencing extensive damage is cause to believe that flooding would not intensify.

"It looks like the flood plain was doing its job," said Mr. Olsson, who is also a geologist.

After issuing questionnaires to Township residents living near flood areas including Harry's Brook, Stony Brook, Lake Carnegie, and Mountain Brook, it has been determined that approximately $120,000 in damage has been sustained by residences in the Harry's Brook region. The data was based on nine questionnaires that indicated various amounts of damage done, according to Township Engineer Robert Kiser.

He added that $60,000 worth of damage had been done to homes in the Stony Brook area, and $120,000 in the Mountain Brook region. Mr. Kiser did not have finalized data regarding flood damage costs in the Lake Carnegie area.

Elizabeth Wood, who lives near Stony Brook off Princeton Pike, said that when she and her husband moved to their house in 1997, they had done research on 100-year- and 300-year-floodplains.

"I thought maybe if we lived here 25 years, we might be flooded once," she said. "Now, [my husband and I] joke that three or four times a year we have waterfront property."

The flood problem has increased dramatically over the past several years, according to testimonials from residents. Most said that the past four to five years have seen drastic increases in flooding.

But the problem does not lie strictly in the fact that Princeton Township is an expanding community, according to Joseph Skupien, president of SWM. "It's not like Princeton Township has grown from 5,000 people in the past five years," he said. While more development is one factor, Mr. Skupien said the flooding could be the result of increased rainfall levels in the past several years.

He cited recent studies performed by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration indicating more abbreviated, heavy rainfalls. "Rather than getting two inches in six hours, we could get two inches in two hours," he said.

He also made reference to the "randomness" of flooding in general. Pointing to the drought that had been ongoing since 1996, Mr. Skupien said once regular weather patterns began to emerge by the end of 2002, regular flooding also returned to the region.

The Township's Mr. Kiser argued that it is not the rise in developments that have exacerbated the flooding by increasing impervious surfaces, but the tearing down of single-lot homes to make way for larger homes.

The engineer recommended that an impervious surface requirement be put in place for single-lot homes in the Township limiting the amount of roof, driveway, and patio space for a newly-built house.

Township developments of three lots or greater can require the inclusion of detention basins, which control stormwater runoff, Mr. Kiser said. He added that the Township actually requires a developer to reduce the levels of water coming off a property.

However, Mr. Kiser added, all aspects need to be investigated as part of the flood mitigation plan. SWM's Mr. Skupien concurred, applying the words of Einstein to Princeton's complex flood predicament.

"For every problem, there is a solution that is simple, concise, and totally wrong," he said.