By Sunayana Prabhu
FAIR HAVEN – Multiple projects that include upgrades to and construction of borough facilities were on the agenda at the latest council meeting. In a meeting that lasted nearly four hours, council members were given an overview of the borough’s stormwater management mandates, an update on the renovation process at borough facilities, and a presentation by the Two River Wastewater Reclamation Authority.
Stormwater Management Regulations
Nicolas J. Poruchynsky, assistant director of engineering and public works for the borough, gave an overview of Fair Haven’s MS4 (Municipal Separate Storm Sewer Systems) permit and state department of environmental protection grants to assist in MS4 compliance mandates. Authorized by the NJDEP, the permit allows the borough to regulate and discharge its stormwater into the Navesink River. The borough’s stormwater sewer is separate from its sanitary sewer systems and is meant to discharge only stormwater, usually to a stream or ocean.
“Polluted runoff is one of the greatest threats to clean water in the U.S.,” according to a March 24 report by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The MS4 program was created by NJDEP in 2004 for all municipalities to reduce these pollutants. The EPA defines stormwater runoff as water from rain and snowmelt that picks up “fertilizer, oil, pesticides, dirt, bacteria and other pollutants as it makes its way through storm drains and ditches – untreated – to our streams, rivers, lakes and the ocean.”
The impact of stormwater goes “unseen” because, unlike sewer, cable or electric bills, “nobody gets a stormwater bill,” said Poruchynsky.
Excess stormwater can cause flooding and safety risks and impact recreational resources and wildlife. Fair Haven is required by the state to follow stringent stormwater management rules. Poruchynsky said everyone from residents and elected officials to borough personnel and volunteers has a responsibility to make sure any new development or redevelopment in the borough or capital improvement ordinances follow stormwater regulations.
Fair Haven received its first MS4 permit from the state in 2004 to allow stormwater discharge into the Navesink River. The permit was renewed in 2009, 2018 and again this year. The MS4 permit requires the borough to submit annual reports to the NJDEP on stormwater management.
In order to comply with the MS4 permit the borough’s public works team regularly reviews and upgrades nearly 1,000 stormwater inlets and catch basins. The tasks include removing excess salt from deicing and roadside vegetative waste from yard trimmings, checking for eroding roads to prevent sedimentation in stormwaters, and inspecting municipal and private stormwater basins four times annually, among other compliance requirements.
Poruchynsky discussed a watershed improvement plan that involves additional mapping of public and private stormwater infrastructure. The borough will submit its final locations for water quality improvement projects to the NJDEP by 2028.
The borough has applied for a $25,000 NJDEP stormwater grant for MS4 compliance projects. In addition to borough engineers and the public works team, Leon S. Avakian, the borough’s consulting engineer, has submitted a proposal to assist through several phases of MS4 mandates.
“My backyard was literally up to my waist for an entire day,” said resident Michal Dimiceli during public comments. “River Road is really flooding.” Dimiceli blamed the development at Colonial Court.
“The intersection of Colonial Court and Smith (Street) has historically had issues,” said Richard Gardella, a borough engineer. He said he is working with the developer’s engineer on areas of improvement. Council member Tracy Cole said, “Flooding like that can set off a catastrophe.” Council member Laline Neff urged the council to put the matter on a “fast track” to address flooding that could lead to basement damage and mold problems.
Another resident, who participated virtually, said the Colonial Court development was being “built on wetlands” and “between the borough and the DEP this should never have been developed.”
Carolyn Fergusson a resident of Colonial Court, said there has been regular flooding in the neighborhood since 2019, “three or four times a year.”
Stephanie Rapp of Oxford Avenue, on behalf of the environmental commission, asked the council if they could “privately fund a rain garden” at McCarter Pond. The commission’s grant application for the rain garden was rejected by ANJEC (Association of New Jersey Environmental Commissions). Theresa Casagrande, borough administrator said the project would have to undergo an “intake process” and could be considered after the fall.
Sewer Bills To Rise
In other agenda items, Michael Gianforte, a professional engineer and executive director from the Two River Water Reclamation Authority (TRWRA), gave a presentation on infrastructure repairs to the wastewater treatment facility at Monmouth Beach. The nearly $111 million project includes replacing TRWRA’s aging Pleasure Bay Interceptor and Main Pump Station that was damaged during Super Storm Sandy. The construction costs are expected to raise quarterly sewer bills paid by residents by an estimated $10 next year, which “should buy us 10 years of no rate increases,” Gianforte said, noting the borough hasn’t raised rates for 22 years. Construction at the treatment facility that processes wastewater generated by member towns including Fair Haven started May 15 and is expected to take three years to complete.
Facilities Update
In additional agenda items, council member Andrew LaBarbera provided updates from the first public hearing on the borough facilities upgrades held May 19. The public could not view police department drawings which are restricted by the Department of Corrections which has greenlit the project so far. According to LaBarbera, the majority of residents preferred a site plan that reduces the footprint of the public works building by over 6,000 square feet. There was a preference of an 8-foot fence for “additional buffering,” said LaBarbera. Site demolition has already been done and engineers are expected to determine the full extent of the renovation. LaBarbera said he will be meeting with the director of parks and recreation to finalize the community center project.
The article originally appeared in the June 1 – 7, 2023 print edition of The Two River Times.
