Elizabeth Seeks Comments on Watershed Inventory Report by Dec. 12

According to the City of Elizabeth's announcement.

Elizabeth residents have until Saturday, Dec. 12, to send questions and comments on a new report about the city's storm drains, waterways and flooding.

The City of Elizabeth has posted its Watershed Inventory Report, the first phase of a three part Watershed Improvement Plan. The report is open for a 60 day public comment period.

The comment period is required by the city's stormwater permit from the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, called the NJDEP MS4 Master General Permit. MS4 stands for municipal separate storm sewer system. In plain terms, it means the city's storm drains and the pipes that carry rainwater away.

Mott MacDonald prepared the report for the city, with funding from the City of Elizabeth. According to the report, the city owns and operates 143 storm sewer outfalls, the points where pipes empty into nearby waters. Of those, 129 discharge to the Elizabeth River. The report counts five subwatersheds within or bordering the city.

The report says Elizabeth faces flooding from the Elizabeth River and coastal flooding tied to Newark Bay and the Arthur Kill. It lists 19 flooding locations, including Fairmount Avenue between Newark Avenue and North Broad Street. It also notes that almost the entire city is mapped as Overburdened Communities.

The goal of the full plan is to improve water quality and reduce or eliminate flooding in the city. Phase 2 will study possible water quality projects in each subwatershed. Phase 3 will list proposed project locations, along with schedules, yearly costs and possible funding sources.

To read the report, visit the city's Stormwater page or open the report PDF, which runs 72 pages and is a large file. Send questions and comments to City Engineer Daniel J. Loomis, PE, at dloomis@elizabethnj.org no later than Saturday, Dec. 12.

The notice does not list a phone number, office hours or a mailing address for comments. The report mentions public information sessions, but no dates have been posted. The report says meeting dates will be posted on the city's Stormwater page once they are scheduled.

The information in this first report will be used to build the Phase 2 Watershed Assessment Report, the next step in the city's plan.

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Source: City of Elizabeth News Flash

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