Government offers funds to mitigate Peckman River flooding
The federal government announced Wednesday that it will spend $129,000 in an effort to prevent flooding of the Peckman River, a tributary of the Passaic River that runs through Cedar Grove and Verona.
Although Woodland Park and Little Falls tend to bear the brunt of flooding from the Peckman when a heavy storm comes through, Cedar Grove has been affected by the overflowing river in the past, such as during Hurricane Floyd in 1999, Mayor Robert O'Toole said.
O'Toole is a member of the Regional Flood Control Board for Cedar Grove, Little Falls and Woodland Park.
The board will meet with the Army Corps of Engineers on June 9 to discuss future plans for the river, O'Toole said.
In the past, creating another tributary connecting the Peckman and the Passaic rivers either through a tunnel or viaduct has been discussed, he said.
The funds come from the Fiscal Year 2011 Continuing Resolution, which Congress passed in April, according to a press release.
In total, New Jersey will receive more than $160 million for water projects.