Towns eye flood fix

Jamesburg and Monroe working together to address Gatzmer Avenue

By: Bill Greenwood
   JAMESBURG — The borough is working with Monroe to address flooding issues on Gatzmer Avenue.
   Jamesburg Mayor Tony LaMantia said June 13 that he has met with Monroe officials to discuss the problem and hopes to have some idea of what can be done by the Borough Council’s next meeting on July 11.
   "We are trying to get some kind of relief in that area by working with Monroe and getting some kind of something done to alleviate the problem," he said.
   He said the borough is asking Monroe for help cleaning out a drainage ditch on Courtney Street that funnels water from Costco under Gatzmer Avenue, through Cranbury and Helmetta, and into the Manalapan Brook. Residents have said the ditch is blocked by trees and debris that keep water from flowing along its intended course.
   Monroe Township Engineer Ernie Feist said Tuesday that Mayor LaMantia met with Monroe Business Administrator Wayne Hamilton and that they decided to leave the situation in the hands of Mr. Feist and Borough Engineer Alan Dittenhofer. Mr. Feist said he hoped to meet with Mr. Dittenhofer soon to "see what the situation is and see how we can cooperate to help."
   Jamesburg officials decided to investigate the matter after several Gatzmer Avenue residents expressed concerns about flooding at the council’s May 23 meeting. They said their homes never flooded before the 1.24-million-square-foot Costco warehouse, located on Costco Drive in Monroe, was completed in 2001.
   They said their homes have flooded several times since then, including during the "100-year storm" that dropped 8 to 10 inches of rain on the borough within a four-hour period in 2005 and during an April nor’easter that dropped 7.83 inches of rain throughout the area.
   However, Gatzmer Avenue resident Barbara Bushman said Wednesday that flooding often occurs, not only during large storms but also during multiple-day periods of continual rain.
   "All we need is a week of rain, rain, rain and we have a flood," she said.
   Ms. Bushman said she was happy that Jamesburg and Monroe officials are discussing ways to resolve the flooding issue. She said cleaning out the drainage ditch is a good start but more actions will need to be taken to completely fix the problem, including expanding a retention pond located behind Costco.
   "The retention pond is too small," she said. "This is between the engineers because I don’t know what they can do about it, but there’s no way that pond can hold all that water."
   She also said Monroe should put a stop to any new construction in the area until the problem is resolved. She said a large amount of dirt has been removed at Docks Corner and Cranbury roads.
   "We have a very serious problem, but Monroe is continuing building and taking out soil and causing more of a problem," she said. "We already have a problem that’s out of control, and they’re making it worse."
   Mr. Feist said Greenfield Builders, of Indiana, is about a month or two away from completing the last of four warehouses in that area. He said the facility has its own stormwater management and won’t connect to Costco’s system or to Gatzmer Avenue.