Water company said to lower Woodcliff Lake ahead of storms as mayors fret over flooding
With storms expected to deluge New Jersey this week, the water company that owns Woodcliff Lake was planning to lower the reservoir on Tuesday to protect its "structural integrity," Westwood's mayor said.
In a late afternoon Facebook post, Mayor Raymond Arroyo said he and Hillsdale Mayor Michael Sheinfield had been told by Veolia Water that "for the purposes of safeguarding the structural integrity of the dam gates, and out of an abundance of caution in that regard, they will begin drawing water out of the vessel in advance of Tropical Storm Debbie's arrival."
The company plans to get the level down to somewhere between 92 or 93 feet from "the current swollen level of 95+," Arroyo wrote.
For years, Westwood and other flood-prone Pascack Valley towns have urged Veolia to draw down the lake in advance of storms to help absorb potential rainfall. But Veolia and state regulators have both demurred, saying the company's mandate was to ensure the water supply.
On Tuesday, Arroyo wrote the company's "specifically stated purpose is not flood mitigation, just structural safety concerns."
"Until Trenton changes the law , this is the best we are going to do," he added.
Flood watch issued for much of NJ
A string of storms, including the remnants of Tropical Storm Debby, are expected to bring heavy rains and potential flash flooding to the area. Early on Tuesday, the National Weather Service issued a flood watch for 15 of New Jersey's 21 counties, including Bergen, Passaic, Essex and Hudson.
Debra Vial, Veolia's communications director, said earlier on Tuesday that the company was preparing for the storm and "ensuring we have emergency staff ready, that our backup power is online and taking all necessary precautions to protect the integrity of the dams and the communities we serve."
"We continue to be in contact with local and county emergency officials," she said.
Why state, Veolia are cautious about drawdowns
Decisions on drawing down the lake are not made arbitrarily and are based on experience, she added. For example, during Hurricane Sandy in 2012, the state told water suppliers to lower the reservoirs several feet, but a predicted deluge never came and reservoirs did not recover causing a drought, said Vial.
“Letting water pass to protect the dam structure is really the only instance in which we are allowed to release water,” said Vial. “Our NJDEP permits do not allow us to lower levels before storms as a flood control measure.”
This summer has been “extremely dry” so far, forcing Veolia to bring 50 millions of gallons a day from the Wanaque Reservoir just to meet the demand, said Vial.
More: Hey New Jersey, get ready for some cooler weather, lots of rain and flood watch
On Monday, Arroyo, Sheinfield and two fellow Bergen County mayors, along with state Sen. Holly Schepisi, had asked Gov. Phil Murphy to order the lowering of Woodcliff Lake ahead of the storm.
"With several inches of rain expected in the coming days, action must be taken as soon as possible," Schepisi, a Bergen County Republican, wrote in a letter to Murphy and state Environmental Protection Commissioner Shawn LaTourette that Arroyo shared on his Facebook page.
“With the reservoir at its summer level of 95 feet, there is simply nowhere for the water to go,” Schepisi said in the letter. “Even a small rain results in runoff and spillover, continuously damaging properties.”
In a response to Schepisi's letter shared by the DEP, LaTourette said that while he can "empathize with the wish of some residents that water supply reservoirs could double as a mechanism to reduce flooding that affects their communities," the state must also "mind the appropriate function of this critical infrastructure and the public need to maintain appropriate water levels."
Arroyo said on Facebook Monday that he and Sheinfield ? along with mayors Peter Calamari of Washington Township, and Mark Bromberg of River Vale ? have also been in touch with state Assemblyman Robert Auth, who put them “in direct contact with the Governor’s Office as well” to request the reservoir be lowered. Arroyo said the water levels needed to be drained “when the sun is shining.”
“I understand it is a hard call to make because the early indicators suggest the counties to our south will be hardest hit,” Arroyo in his own e-mail to Murphy’s office, which was also posted on Facebook. “But if Debbie [sic] shifts trajectory and comes at us hard, there will not be enough time to pre-release, which must be done over several days, so as not to cause flooding. And by then, it will be too late to take any effective action to mitigate the flood potential.”
Pascack Valley towns seek flooding solutions
Flooding in Westwood and surrounding towns has been a longstanding issue. While pushing for more action from the water company, the towns have also commissioned two studies by the Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken. One is looking at flood-control tools used by other reservoir systems across the country; the second has employed a drone to find waterways clogged with debris that exacerbate local flooding.
Meanwhile, Schepisi, a Bergen Republican, has promoted a bipartisan bill in the state Senate, co-sponsored by Paramus Democrat Joseph Lagana, that would authorize local emergency management offices to order the reservoir to be lowered in response to bad weather. .
There is a companion bill in the Assembly sponsored by Republicans Robert Auth and DeAnne C. DeFuccio and Democrat Chris Tully, which was introduced and referred to the Assembly Environment, Natural Resources, and Solid Waste Committee in January.
Stephanie Noda is a local reporter for NorthJersey.com. For unlimited access to the most important news from your local community, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.
Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @snoda11
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Woodcliff Lake NJ may be lowered ahead of Tropical Storm Debby
