The Green Brook Flood Control Project is a flood control project in
Somerset County in central
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 ...
first proposed in the early 1970s in the wake of two major flooding events: a 1971 flood event and a major 1973 flood which ravaged the
Green Brook and
Raritan River
Raritan River is a major river of New Jersey. Its Drainage basin, watershed drains much of the mountainous area of the central part of the state, emptying into the Raritan Bay on the Atlantic Ocean.
History
Geologists assert that the lower Rar ...
basins, causing millions in property damage and several deaths in central New Jersey.
The worst flooding in the Green Brook basin occurs in
Bound Brook, which partially lies on a natural flood plain of the Raritan River at the junction of the Green Brook and Raritan River.
To address this flooding problem, the
has proposed the Green Brook Sub Basin Flood Control Project, which entails numerous
flood walls,
levee
A levee (), dike (American English), dyke (English in the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth English), embankment, floodbank, or stop bank is a structure that is usually soil, earthen and that often runs parallel (geometry), parallel to ...
s, channel diversions, widening projects and
retention basin
A retention basin, sometimes called a wet pond, wet detention basin, or stormwater management pond (SWMP), is an artificial pond with vegetation around the perimeter and a permanent pool of water in its design. It is used to manage stormwater r ...
s throughout the Green Brook basin.
Floodings during the project
The Green Brook Flood Control project has languished for decades due to a lack of federal funding.
Hurricane Floyd
Hurricane Floyd was a very powerful Cape Verde hurricane which struck the Bahamas and the East Coast of the United States. It was the sixth named storm, fourth hurricane, and third major hurricane in the 1999 Atlantic hurricane season. Floyd tr ...
in 1999 caused yet more property damage and deaths in the Green Brook basin, especially in Bound Brook, and reinvigorated the flood control project. As of 2006, two levees have been built on the western and eastern sides of Bound Brook. An important levee (R2) on the southwestern side of Bound Brook, which would prevent the Raritan River from flooding the downtown and nearby residential areas, has been completed. Full 150 year protection of downtown and nearby residential areas of Bound Brook is effectively in place with final construction due to be completed by the summer of 2014.
The
April Nor'easter of 2007 flooded Bound Brook with the second highest crest ever recorded in the area, as the envisioned flood protection systems were not yet fully in place. However, the April 2007 flooding did reinvigorate efforts to complete the flood levee protection system around Bound Brook, to protect it from future flooding.
Flooding of downtown occurred in August 2011 when
Hurricane Irene
Hurricane Irene was a large and destructive tropical cyclone which affected much of the Caribbean and East Coast of the United States during late August 2011. The ninth named storm, first hurricane, and first major hurricane of the 2011 At ...
passed along the East Coast.
Current status
# The R2 levee system is functionally complete – The R2 Levee System is designed to provide Bound Brook with protection from a 150-year flood level. The levee is built to the height of the raised Talmage Avenue Bridge.
# Closure gates along Raritan are functionally complete – The gate closures across the New Jersey Transit railroad tracks on the western side of Bound Brook and at the South Main Street railroad underpass that leads to Queens Bridge have been completed and are used to keep flood waters out of Bound Brook.
# The new Talmadge Avenue Bridge that connects Bound Brook and
Bridgewater, New Jersey is functionally complete. The replacement bridge was built to the height of the R2 Levee to prevent
Middle Brook and Raritan River waters from entering Bound Brook from the west.
# To improve water flow through Bound Brook, the former Conrail bridge over the Raritan River and its associated railroad embankment that were located east of Bound Brook were removed during 2007. The bridge and embankment, when they were in place, acted to block the river flow through the Bound Brook area. To build the main Bound Brook R2 levee, the bridge and embankment needed to be removed.
Finderne Wetlands mitigation project
The Finderne Wetlands mitigation project (also known as Finderne Farms) is a wetlands project upstream of Bound Brook in
Bridgewater, New Jersey that is tied into the Green Brook Flood Control project. When completed, Finderne Farms will serve as a Somerset County park with trails through wetlands and ballfields. More importantly, Finderne Farms will serve as an upstream wetland that will help to reduce flooding in the Raritan River valley by providing space for floodwaters to pool.
Sebrings Bridge
A roadway bridge called the Sebrings Bridge, which crosses the Green Brook and links Sebrings Mills Road and Greenbrook Road in the respective towns of
Green Brook and
Middlesex
Middlesex (; abbreviation: Middx) is a Historic counties of England, historic county in South East England, southeast England. Its area is almost entirely within the wider urbanised area of London and mostly within the Ceremonial counties of ...
, was replaced in 2012 as part of the Green Brook Flood Control project.
The bridge currently slows water flow in the Green Brook during periods of high water runoff and causes flooding in the areas upstream of the bridge. The new bridge will be widened and raised to ease water flow. Federal funding is in place for Fiscal Year 2014 for the bridge replacement. Replacement of the bridge also will allow for additional future flood mitigation measures in the areas adjacent to the bridge, such as additional flood walls and levees.
References
External links
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Green Brook Sub Basin Page- Army Corps Green Brook Flood Control Project Website
Green Brook Flood Control Commission- Official Project Website
Detailed Green Brook Flood Control Project Update U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Meeting With Local Officials - September 6, 2006
Officials pleaded for further flood control funds$400 Million Needed to Complete Project, $40 Million to Fully Protect Bound Brook - April 19, 2006
Lawmakers work to keep flood-control funds from drying up{dead link, date=October 2017 , bot=InternetArchiveBot , fix-attempted=yes - January 11, 2006
House panel approves $5 million for Green Brook Flood Control Project- May 18, 2005
- Observation gauge approximately one-half mile west (upstream) of Bound Brook, NJ, just below Calco Dam. Main Street in Bound Brook floods when the river reaches a 30-foot stage.
Raritan River
Somerset County, New Jersey
Flood control projects
Flood control in the United States