The Raritan Millstone River Flood Control Commission has rejected a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers conclusion that the borough does not need a flood control project.
MANVILLE -- The Raritan Millstone River Flood Control Commission has rejected a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers conclusion that the borough does not need a flood control project.
After spending more than $3 million on a study that took decades to complete, the Corps recently concluded there's not enough flood damage in the borough to justify the project.
In an open letter to the Corps released Monday, the commission rejected the Corps' conclusions and said its conclusions will have an adverse effect on the borough and its residents.
"It is simply not fair to penalize Manville residents because their homes are more modest, especially after repeated flooding has cut the value of their homes in half," commission Chairman Frank Jurewicz wrote in the letter. "Their heartaches are even more real in that they can least afford the repairs and clean-up costs that the Corps is leaving them exposed to in the future. Government should not exist just help the 'haves' in our society."
In August, the Corps announced the completion the $100 million Bound Brook portion of the $330 million Green Brook Flood Damage Reduction Project, which was started in 2000.
That portion of the project has put in place a system of levees around three sides of neighboring Bound Brook, with flood gates and pumping stations that have resulted in approximately 500 residences and businesses once located in flood zones no longer being required to have flood insurance.
The entire project is expected to provide comprehensive flood protection to the entire Green Brook Basin that covers 65 square miles and includes 14 municipalities in Middlesex, Somerset and Union counties.
The Commission's letter said that the Corps used a much larger geographic area with many more high end homes to justify their Bound Brook project. It added that the damage suffered by Manville residents can't just be measured in dollars and cents.
The letter stated that "the fear and anxiety for their residents, the repeated moving of possessions to higher ground on the news of a flood threat, the loss of home values, the escalating costs of flood insurance (now as high as their mortgage payments)" should be taken into consideration.
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Furthermore, the decline of businesses downtown because of the threat of flooding has led to a declining tax base and higher tax rates.
"Over 50 years have passed and the Borough of Manville remains the 'forgotten town' in a regional approach to flood mitigation," Manville Manville Mayor Richard M. Onderko told NJ Advance Media. "The amount of impervious surface placed within our watershed is well past the tipping point. The region is in need of solutions to help lower flood water levels produced by the Raritan River, Millstone River and Royce Brook.
"This will also benefit surrounding towns that border Manville and are also impacted by the adverse effects of flooding. I remain hopeful that with new leadership in Washington D.C., putting Americans first will become a reality in the near future. The residents and taxpayers of Manville deserve so much better."
Assemblyman Jack M. Ciattarelli (R-Somerset), who is running for governor, also agreed with the Commission's position."The Army Corps analysis seems to reveal a terrible flaw in its methodology," he wrote in the letter. "Flood mitigation relief should not be based primarily on lost value, but on the number of lives affected by repeated flooding."
Jurewicz said in the letter that the Corps' study admitted that the danger of future flooding is inevitable, and will get more severe as temperatures continue to rise, threatening not only Manville, but the entire river basin.
"These floods affect our homes, schools, businesses, emergency response times, and cost millions to clean up," he wrote. "It is not just an issue for Manville - it is an issue for our entire region."
Assemblyman Andrew Zwicker (D-Somerset) also supported the Commission, suggesting that the Corps' decision is based on the value of homes, not the value of lives destroyed and interrupted by flooding.
"Our government is supposed to work for everyone, not for the few or for the privileged," he wrote. "By turning their backs on Manville, the Army Corps of Engineers has put people last. Manville is a community, not simply numbers on a spreadsheet. Their ruling is, quite simply, wrong."
The Commission's letter closes with an appeal to the Corps for aid they can fund thru other programs.
Dave Hutchinson may be reached at dhutchinson@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @DHutch_SL. Find NJ.com on Facebook.