Joseph and Jacqueline Cinque Are Residents of Berkeley Heights, NJ

Recently, my husband and I attended the August 7th township meeting regarding the bond that the town seeks to remedy storm damage.

I was particularly disappointed to not see anything mentioned on measures that can be taken to mitigate future flooding, particularly in the neighborhoods of Briarwood Dr E, Lawrence, Robbins and Springfield Ave which experienced and have been experiencing tremendous flooding over the past four years. Speaking for myself, we have flooded three times since 2021 causing thousands of dollars in damage and each time we fix up our home and try to better defend against Mother Nature.

We also notice that the creek behind our home has become increasingly shallow over the years due in part to soil erosion and sediment buildup.

In my opinion the main focus is over-development and deforestation that is causing this.  The creek can no longer handle the amount of water that’s forced to it whether it is coming from an aging sewer runoff system or being diverted from somewhere that used to be a source of absorption and is now fed to the creek.

The handling of the creek is still a major concern and township gives mixed answers. It can be homeowners owned, township owned, county owned or something else?

Who cleans the creek?

Who is responsible for reviewing current creek capacity and the amount of stormwater it can take?

There are no clear answers but a lot of red tape involved, more research that needs to be done and mitigation measures put in place.

It should be figured out sooner than later because the only ones that are suffering are the residents.

We deserve better.

Images of Flooding in Our Area

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