Third in a series evaluating municipal compliance with the Union County Hazard Mitigation Plan

NJ21st obtained Plainfield’s stormwater files through an Open Public Records Act (OPRA) request. The responses included a stormwater ordinance, an engineering estimate for Milton Campbell Field, 2016–2025 capital budget records and an incomplete email exchange that appears to be about a recreation grant

The ordinance Plainfield provided meets the state’s minimum standards and tells developers how to handle runoff, requires recharge when possible, and lays out rules for pipes and basins. But this may not stop water from rushing into yards.

To deal with that, the City hired Pennoni Associates in 2024 to scope out a real fix. Their engineers came back with a $4 million estimate which included expanding the detention basin, rebuilding the outlet structure, stabilizing the stream and raising two pedestrian bridges- along with extras like permits and police. Officials told us this is still just an estimate.

While Milton Campbell is clearly addressed, the rest of its Hazard Mitigation Plan remains untouched. No evidence was provided of progress on Cedar Brook, flood-proofing apartments, or backup power for critical facilities.

In their response to our request, the City stressed that the Milton Campbell estimate was the only concrete project to date.

‘All other funding or costs outlined in the UCHMP are just estimates,’ the City wrote, adding that they have not received price quotes and are instead implementing NJDEP’s mandatory MS4 mapping system which, they state “will allow us to identify MS4 outfalls, groundwater discharge points, interconnections, storm drains, inlets, manholes and watershed monitoring to eventually result in improvements to water quality and reduce flooding.”

With the next plan cycle approaching in 2026, Plainfield risks rolling forward a list of unfunded, unverified projects for a second time.

The County Gap

The county’s Hazard Mitigation Plan had Milton-Campbell at only $1.25 million.

County placeholders are meant to keep projects FEMA-eligible and are often outdated by the time engineers look at a site. On paper projects looked a lot cheaper than they really are.

We found a similar issue with Fanwood.

Brief Comparison

In Scotch Plains, the township stuck to compliance tasks and logged a placeholder. Fanwood went further, commissioning a 54-page drainage study. But its $7.5 million price tag dwarfed the $2 million listed in the county plan — and it remains unfunded.

Plainfield has taken the extra step of putting a number on its basin project and like Fanwood, it remains caught between planning and funding.

Fanwood and Scotch Plains have stronger tax bases and smaller populations than Plainfield, yet they have been unable to move projects forward.

For Plainfield, with deeper economic challenges, the funding gap is even wider. The City is unlikely to cover multimillion-dollar flood projects without state or federal aid.

The 2026 Deadline

Union County’s current hazard mitigation plan was approved in 2021 and expires in 2026. The update process has already started, which means towns have less than two years to turn placeholders into projects with real costs and funding. Otherwise, the same unfunded entries could roll forward into the next cycle all over again.

The bottom line: placeholder numbers look affordable, but they don’t match the price of keeping water out of homes and streets. Until towns close that gap with real money, the fixes remain on paper while the flooding keeps coming.

Final Grades:

Source Materials

Union County Hazard Mitigation Plan

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Related Articles:

Fanwood’s Drainage Study Aligns With Union County Hazard Mitigation Plan

Scotch Plains Meets State Stormwater Rules, Broader Flood Strategy Seems Unclear