HILLSBOROUGH: Nine-town flood control group organizes

Group warned: Prepare for the long haul

By Gene Robbins, Managing Editor
   Every time it rains hard, residents of Manville shudder.
   It didn’t used to be that way, say longtime residents. But Tropical Storm Floyd slapped the borough hard in 1999, and Manville and other areas were devastated by back-to-back storms of Irene and Lee in late August and early September 2011.
   Manville wasn’t the only place with flooded homes, but it suffered the worst damage — an estimated 900 homes. So it was logical representatives of 10 municipalities met Feb. 1 in Manville for the organization meeting of the Raritan and Millstone Rivers Flood Control Commission, which is charged with finding answers to why flooding is happening more frequently and what can be done to prevent and deal with rising water.
   It won’t be overnight before flood walls go up or properties are bought out and returned to a flood plain.
   ”The only bit of advice I’d give you is don’t get discouraged,” said William Crosby, of North Plainfield, who is a member of the 10-municipality Green Brook Flood Control Commission, which concentrates on the downstream Raritan River. “I’ve been at this for 40 years . . . it takes a long time.”
   He said then-Congressman Matthew Rinaldo told the fledgling Green Brook Commission in the early 1970s that, if everything went right, it would be 20 years before remedies would be seen. It took 24 years, Mr. Crosby said.
   If there was some solace, the Millstone-Raritan confluence area is several years into a study of flooding conditions and alternatives, especially focusing on the Manville area. David Gentile of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said he would present at the March 28 meeting an overview of current tasks and status. Monthly meetings were scheduled for the fourth Wednesday of each month in Manville.
   Representing Hillsborough at the meeting was its engineer, Tom Belanger.
   Along with Hillsborough and Manville, commission members are from Bridgewater, Franklin and Montgomery townships along with the boroughs of Millstone, Rocky Hill, Somerville and South Bound Brook. Somerset County is another partner.
   The commission is charged with collecting, studying and analyzing data in order to determine the causes of flooding in that area, keeping informed of federal and state grants and publicizing methods of flood control and prevention.
   Frank Jurewicz, a Manville Planning Board member, was elected chairman of the group. Mayor Ed Zimmerman, of Rocky Hill, is the vice chairman.
   Universally, representatives professed to accept a hope a regional approach will bring political strength when it comes to money and influence.
   Mr. Jurewicz said he grew up 100 feet from the Millstone, and when he was a kid, when it rained, the river didn’t flood. His mother lived in the Lost Valley portion of Manville until she died recently at age 90. Mr. Jurewicz, who now lives in the Weston area, is helping his son restoring the house.
   A self-described system engineer who lives by data and numbers, Mr. Jurewicz said he wanted the commission to have short-term goals, too, to generate momentum and hope.
   He hinted at the regional nature of the problem when he said, “When it rains on Saturday, and the river doesn’t rise until Sunday, you know the problem is not in Manville.”
   Manville Mayor Angelo Corradino said action has to come fast or people will give up, and Manville will become a ghost town
   ”We don’t have 20 years,” he said. “Our residents don’t have 20 years. The hardship people have endured in the last 12 years have been phenomenal, and I don’t think they can take it anymore.”
   Three Manville residents in the audience shared their personal stories of frustration and near-despair.
   Tom Zrinko said his five-bedroom house had suffered three floods. The property cost him $480,000, and it could be had for $250,000 today, and it’s not selling.
   He faces a $4,600 annual flood insurance bill this year, he said. He’d be willing to physically raise his house onto stilts, but engineers say it can’t be done, citing the topography and soft foundation. If the house goes up too high, it’s in danger of toppling over in a strong wind, he said he’s been told.
   Yet he can’t walk away, he said.
   ”I have high hopes for the new commission and happy that Montgomery will be working with our neighboring towns to address this regional problem,” Montgomery Mayor Ed Trzaska said. “Most importantly, I want to help the towns that are truly devastated by the flooding. Many of their residents are hurting and need relief as soon as possible.”
   Mayor Trzaska said Montgomery’s specific top priority is to develop a flood-free crossing of the Millstone River.
   ”During severe storms, like Hurricane Irene, Montgomery becomes an island,” he said. “We need a way to cross the Millstone so we can have access to local hospitals and other emergency facilities.”
   He said he also would like the commission to explore Blue Acres funding for certain situations. Gov. Christie recently signed a bill into law to make it easier for towns to buy flood-prone lands for conservation or recreational purposes by dipping into local and county funds created to buy farms or open space.
   Manville Councilman Richard Onderko said the organizational meeting “is a dream come true for me.”
   When he grew up in the 1960s in the borough, he experienced flooding firsthand. It’s gotten a lot worse, he said.
   ”Manville is being destroyed by the effects of flooding right before our very eyes,” he said.
   He suggested a field trip to Bound Brook to see infrastructure being built there.