The borough of Carteret is surrounded by two major rivers: the Arthur Kill and the Rahway River. While they make for wonderful waterfronts, the public access to and redevelopment of which continually increase in Carteret, flooding can be hazard.
To help mitigate that in one of the most vulnerable parts of the 5 mile-square borough, the state Department of Community Affairs recently awarded Carteret a $4.1 million Resilient Communities grant. The funds will pay for most of a $4.7 million bioretention facility on flood-prone Bergen Street, Mayor Daniel J. Reiman announced Tuesday.
“We’re very grateful to Gov. Phil Murphy and his administration for these funds to help manage storm water runoff and prevent flooding among the many multifamily and single-family residences near on and near Bergen Street,” Reiman said.
Bergen Street is located near the borough’s southern connection with the Arthur Kill Tidal Strait. Storm water runoff there drains directly into the Arthur Kill via a drainage trench.
Due to the high volume of impervious surfaces in the surrounding area and its proximity to the coastline, Bergen Street experiences flooding during heavy rain and major storms. To address this flooding, the bioretention facility will be built on the former site of three apartment buildings.
“The structures were severely damaged during Hurricane Sandy and would have required substantial improvements, including being raised, to avoid future flooding,” Reiman said.
The project will include the resurfacing of Bergen Street, addition of a storm bypass pipe, construction of a detention basin and surrounding pedestrian pathway, plantings that will assist in retaining and cleaning storm water, and dry floodproofing of the existing Bergen Street sanitary sewer pump station.
The proposed bioretention facility will catch, clean and temporarily store storm water runoff from Bergen Street and the area around it, which will improve water quality and reduce the risk of flooding. Once the storm water has drained through the subsoil, it will be directed into drainage pipes that lead into the Arthur Kill.
