Wedgewood Brook is a tributary of the

Woodbridge River The Woodbrige River (also known as Woodbridge Creek) is a river in Woodbridge Township, Middlesex County, New Jersey, United States. The river is an important waterway, which frequently floods due to extreme weather caused by climate change, an ...

, located within Woodbrige Proper, Middlesex County,

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

, United States. The brook arises near Woodbridge High School, flows east, and crosses Wedgewood Avenue, Amboy Avenue and Barron Avenue before entering Woodbridge River in the Woodbridge River Park. Interest in the brook has increased as it has had recurrent flooding in recent years. Woodbridge is bordered on the east by the Arthur Kill, into which the Woodbridge River flows. There is a history of tidal flooding along this river and its tributaries. Woodbridge rivers, have been described, also, as having a "high flow, flashy nature;" in addition to

tidal flooding Tidal flooding, also known as sunny day flooding or nuisance flooding, is the temporary inundation of low-lying areas, especially streets, during exceptionally high tide events, such as at full and new moons. The highest tides of the year may b ...

, fluvial flooding is also common. The land is relatively impervious, and flooding is exacerbated steep slopes, urban cover and outflow block. The twin culvert size at the railroad crossing just downstream from Barron Avenue is 4x4 feet; this leads to severe upstream flooding. It is estimated that a 100 year flood will put the area under nine feet of water and affect 42 homes. Farther downstream the Wedgewood Avenue neighborhood along the brook is susceptible to tidal flooding, and many of its homes have been offered buyouts by the city. Frequency of flooding has increased over time. Residential areas moved into previous marsh land, decreasing the ability of the land to absorb excess water. Wedgewood Brook is the northern boundary of the area most affected from

Hurricane Sandy Hurricane Sandy (unofficially referred to as ''Superstorm Sandy'') was an extremely destructive and strong Atlantic hurricane, as well as the largest Atlantic hurricane on record as measured by diameter, with tropical-storm-force winds spann ...

, Watson-Cramptom. Prior to 2009 this area was zoned for high density residential housing, including the area consisting of wetlands and

meadows A meadow ( ) is an open habitat, or field, vegetated by grasses, herbs, and other non-woody plants. Trees or shrubs may sparsely populate meadows, as long as these areas maintain an open character. Meadows may be naturally occurring or artificia ...

. When the Sandy came, there was a combination of tidal and fluvial flooding; it was "characterized as a

tsunami A tsunami ( ; from ja, 津波, lit=harbour wave, ) is a series of waves in a water body caused by the displacement of a large volume of water, generally in an ocean or a large lake. Earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and other underwater exp ...

-like water wall," destroying adjoining homes. After Sandy, using money from the New Jersey Buyout Program, Woodbridge bought out and demolished many residential properties in the flood hazard areas. Woodbridge's actions and plans have been called a "slow motion evacuation from

climate change In common usage, climate change describes global warming—the ongoing increase in global average temperature—and its effects on Earth's climate system. Climate change in a broader sense also includes previous long-term changes to ...

." As people move out of flood hazard areas, they will replaced by a "

floodplain A floodplain or flood plain or bottomlands is an area of land adjacent to a river which stretches from the banks of its channel to the base of the enclosing valley walls, and which experiences flooding during periods of high discharge.Goudi ...

forest of native trees, shrubs and grass." In Woodbridge not everybody wants to sell; 2050, when the properties may be under water, seems too far in the future for some. This interferes with the goal of land buffers, entire blocks, between rivers and homes.

References

{{authority control Rivers of Middlesex County, New Jersey Rivers of New Jersey Bodies of water in Woodbridge Township, New Jersey