Politics & Government

State Offers $3M in Grants For Passaic River Basin Cleaning

Ridgewood and Glen Rock are both eligible for funding in an effort to reduce flooding.

By Jim Leggate

New Jersey has made $3 million in grants available to help reduce flooding in Passaic River Basin towns, officials announced Thursday.

The money will go toward projects to clear out fallen trees and other debris in waterways which can contribute to flooding.

Ridgewood, Glen Rock and 40 other towns are eligible to apply for the grants through the Department of Environmental Protection.


"While the Passaic River Basin was not as affected by Superstorm Sandy as our coastal communities, it certainly bore the brunt of Tropical Storm Irene and Tropical Storm Lee just a year earlier, when the river basin suffered severe flooding," DEP Commissioner Bob Martin said in a press release. "We know there is no way to stop flooding in the river basin, but steps like this... are critical to alleviating flooding impacts to this repetitively-flooded area."

The funding was reallocated from the "Dam, Lake, Stream, Flood Control, Water Resources and Wastewater Treatment Project Bond Act of 2003" when Gov. Chris Christie signed a bill last month.

Individual grants are expected to be around $100,000 each, according to state officials. Towns have until November 30 to submit letters of interest to the DEP.


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