By Stephen Appezzato
HIGHLANDS – The borough anticipates receiving its largest grant ever to tackle its longstanding townwide flooding issues.
According to borough business administrator Mike Muscillo, Highlands is in the final review stages before receiving more than $12 million from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for hazard mitigation.
The highly anticipated award will go to the Highlands and Monmouth Hills Flood Mitigation and Green Infrastructure Project, which was publicly presented last October.
“Since 1896, when the first home was built in Monmouth Hills, the Borough of Highlands has been negatively affected by stormwater runoff issues,” explained Highlands Mayor Carolyn Broullon in a release.
So Highlands and Monmouth Hills joined forces to tackle its flooding issues, a “127-year-old problem,” according to Broullon.
If the grant is approved, the two communities will fund the initial cost match of the project – approximately $3.75 million – and will pay for project maintenance in the future. Federal funds will cover the majority of the improvements.
Flooding affects many in the surrounding area, as well as those driving along Route 36.
With assistance from Colliers Engineering and Design, securing the federal funds has been a three-year ordeal.
Broullon expressed her gratitude to FEMA, the New Jersey Office of Emergency Management and the engineers who helped devise the plan.
This grant would be “the largest award Highlands has ever been given,” said Broullon.
The project will use innovative stormwater management solutions and green infrastructure to bolster the community’s resiliency to extreme weather events. Emergency evacuation routes will also be improved.
The general project area includes Snug Harbor, Bay, Central and Waterwitch avenues; Valley Street, North Street, Route 36 and Kavookjian Field.
Improvements will be made to the North Street and Valley Street pump stations. Additional work will focus on the Monmouth Hills/Route 36 and downtown areas, which includes constructing infiltration basins, discharge pipes and bioretention basins, among other changes.
In total, the project is expected to cost $15 million.
Once the money is secured, the borough predicts construction will begin in 2024.
Broullon anticipates this project will significantly improve the flooding issue residents face downtown and neighboring communities, all caused by heavy rain, tidal changes and extreme weather events, such as the recent Tropical Storm Ophelia. Due to the region’s geography, Highlands has historically been susceptible to flooding.
The award is drawn from FEMA’s Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) Grant program, which will distribute more than $2 billion nationwide for hazard mitigation initiatives.
The news comes following a bout of flooding faced by residents over the past month. In the aftermath, U.S. Rep. Frank Pallone (D- 6) toured ongoing flood control projects in Monmouth County and surveyed storm damage. Pallone’s office revealed that an additional federally-funded flood control project for Highlands is in the engineering and design stage. If it moves for- ward, this will be undertaken by the Army Corps of Engineers, which is currently constructing flood control projects in Union Beach and Port Monmouth.
“Last week’s storms and flooding made it clear that coastal states like New Jersey are on the front lines of rising sea levels and stronger storms due to climate change,” Pallone said.
Flooding not only causes serious damage to property and green space, but it can also pose a threat to community health. According to the National Weather Service, floodwater often gets contaminated with sewage and chemicals. Furthermore, gas leaks and downed power lines can occur – dangers not immediately apparent.
If received, the $12 million FEMA BRIC grant will help ameliorate one of Highlands’ most pressing issues.
The article originally appeared in the October 12 – 18, 2023 print edition of The Two River Times.
