Fourth Phase of Pompton Riverwalk Project Complete

The Township of Pequannock and The Land Conservancy of New Jersey are pleased to announce the completion of the fourth phase of the Pompton Riverwalk. 16 homes have now been purchased in the floodway, 14 of which have been removed to make way for the Riverwalk - a public walking path along the Pompton River.

This novel concept of removing people and property from harm’s way and replacing them with public recreation opportunities has been recognized by Morris County, which is rearranging its Open Space Preservation Trust to encourage more projects like Pequannock’s Pompton Riverwalk.The addition of over two acres of preserved land to the project brings the multi-phase floodplain protection and land preservation project one step closer to completion. This open space and flood mitigation project protects residents and provides flood storage, open space, and public access to the Pompton River for future generations.

The Weir property (0.3 acres) on Pequannock Avenue was purchased in December 2011, making it the final property in Phase IV. Other properties include the former Gidi property on North Pequannock Avenue (0.3 acres), the Shudtz property on Riverside Drive (0.3 acres), the Berkshire property on Harrison Road (0.6 acres), the Hunt property on Riverside Drive (0.3 acres), and the Soldatenkov property on Pequannock Avenue (0.2 acres).

With the acquisition of the last home on one street in Pequannock, the Township no longer has to send boats in to rescue and evacuate residents during floods. This program has been extremely well received by desperate and flood weary residents on some of Pequannock’s hardest hit streets. “This is another step of the larger Riverwalk buyouts projects,” explained Frank Spizzirri, Chairman of the Pequannock Township Open Space Advisory Committee and lead advocate for this project.

“This program has also provided homeowners the opportunity to be removed from the floodway, which just recently had waters in excess of 10 feet high on the property. Hurricane Irene caused the worst flooding in town since 1902, even worse than 1984. The owner's are very excited about the buyout and are searching for a new place in town to settle out of the flood area.”

The Pompton Riverwalk is a multi-phase project which began six years ago under the leadership of Pequannock Township and the Pequannock Township Open Space Advisory Committee, with the expert assistance and consultation of The Land Conservancy of New Jersey. Homes around the banks of the Pompton River, as well as the riparian corridor have long suffered from flooding. Rather than continuing in the old model of flood, rescue and rebuild, Pequannock Township officials and the Open Space Advisory Committee decided to pursue a different and extremely beneficial flood protection strategy.

The Land Conservancy of New Jersey is working with the Township of Pequannock in the development and expansion of this Blueway program to provide flood protection for severely impacted residences and private property, while creating new public recreation opportunities in the community. This program targets the most flood prone homes and streets in the municipality.

“Pequannock Township, with the assistance of Morris County and the State, has been at the forefront of preserving flood prone properties as open space in New Jersey,” explained Gregory Collins, Land Preservation Specialist with The Land Conservancy of New Jersey. “The success of the Pompton Riverwalk project is the result of a well-planned strategy to convert these flood prone residences to an interconnected park system along the river for the enjoyment of current and future Township residents, and will also reduce the Township’s emergency and cleanup costs following future major flooding in the area.”

The Morris County Board of Chosen Freeholders, with the support of the County Open Space Committee, has funded Pequannock Township’s annual requests for grant funds for the Pompton Riverwalk project. The Township and Conservancy are now entering Phase V of the Riverwalk. Since its initial grant request for this project, the Township has received $1,837,900 in grant funding from Morris County for the Riverwalk project and has matched this with funds provided through Green Acres totaling $1,743,600.

Since 2003 The Land Conservancy of New Jersey has permanently protected 1,519 acres in towns located in the floodplain of the Passaic River. Much of this land is now owned and managed by the State of New Jersey, and it functions as it was meant to – to hold waters from severe storms and provide protection to neighboring residents from floods.

The January 2011 report to the Governor from the Passaic River Basin Flood Advisory Commission identified goals which included expanding and expediting property buyouts and preservation of the flood storage area, among the fifteen recommendations provided to the Governor. By working with The Land Conservancy, the Township accelerated the success of its conservation and flood protection program.