With a little bit of luck and about $17 million plus of digging and building, residents in the southwest section of Hoboken won’t find their cars buried in water in the near future.
The North Hudson Sewerage Authority broke ground on a new Wet Weather Pump Station and Screening Facility on Observer Highway off Washington Street. The Authority’s groundbreaking ceremony was attended by Congressman Albio Sires, Hoboken Mayor Dawn Zimmer and other public officials.
According to Dr. Richard J. Wolff, Chairman of the Authority, the pump station will primarily service the southwest portion of Hoboken, the portion of the city most prone to flooding. At normal high tides, 24 per cent of the area is below the level of the river. At a storm tide, 90 per cent of the area is below the river level.
The station will consist of two pumps, each capable of pumping at least 50 million gallons each or a combined 100 million gallons per day of excess wet weather flows. Two 36-inch wide mains installed down Observer Highway will carry the flow to the Pump Station and Screening Facility.
The project will have minimal impact on the area, both visually and land usage, by having the pump station located below grade in Observer Highway. The above ground electrical building will have architectural treatment which will compliment the other buildings in the area.
It is anticipated that the pump station will be operational, flowing through a temporary outfall, by the end of 2010 and at that time will start providing relief from the wet weather flooding to the city. Final completion of the project is anticipated for September 2011.
“This project has been a priority for the Authority for several years,” said Wolff. “We directed our engineers to begin to formulate a plan soon after major new developments in the southwest section began to be impacted by wet weather flooding. It has taken us some time to develop the engineering approach, secure easements and rights of way, negotiate with New Jersey Transit, line up funding, and we’re now ready to move forward. We do not expect that this one pump station will eliminate all flooding incidents throughout the city, but the project is a proactive step towards solving the community’s most chronic flooding problem in the most significantly affected area.”
The cost of the project is $17,605,500 which will be born entirely by the Authority. The Authority received a $5 million grant from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), which was obtained through the combined efforts of U.S. Senators Robert Menendez and Frank Lautenberg, along with Rep. Albio Sires. The Authority will finance the balance of $12,650,500 with a low interest loan from the New Jersey Environmental Infrastructure Trust Fund. Its loan application was supported at the state level by New Jersey State Sen. Brian P. Stack and Assemblypersons Ruben Ramos and Caridad Rodriquez.
Hoboken Mayor Dawn Zimmer termed the groundbreaking and the pump station an “exciting day for Hoboken” and the culmination of years of advocacy on her part to deal with the flooding problem.
“This project did not originate in my administration,” she said, “but it was my persistence and working with the Authority that brought this project to the forefront. In effect, it was the flooding problem that motivated me to get involved in the community and from my days on the council through the present I have fought to have it moved to a top priority. It was originally intended to be the fourth new pump station in a capital improvement plan.”
Fourth Ward Councilman Michael Lenz, whose ward is the most affected by the southwest flooding, called the new pump station a “win-win for the city and the residents of the ward.”
Both he and the mayor also thanked County Executive Thomas DeGise and the County Freeholder board, represented at the ceremony by Freeholder Anthony Romano, for providing right of way access to Observer Highway for the project.
Rep. Sires pointed out that he, Menendez and Lautenberg had to exert a lot of pressure to obtain the $5 million grant since the ARRA funds were limited and competitive.
“We are happy that this project will bring long overdue relief to the citizens of Hoboken,” he said.
Assemblyman Ruben J. Ramos, Jr. said, “I am excited as we take the first step in alleviating the flooding problem in Hoboken. This has been a cooperative effort by many officials at various levels of government. I am grateful that residents should experience some relief in the near future. I will continue to work with both state and local agencies to ensure that this important project moves forward at an efficient pace”.
Authority Executive Director and Engineer Fred Pocci acted as master of ceremonies and opened the proceedings by exclaiming “that sewerage is very rarely an exciting subject, but this is definitely an exciting day for Hoboken.”
Also attending were Gus and Thomas Anselmi, owners of Anselmi & DiCicco Construction Company, which successfully bid on the project.
North Hudson Sewerage Authority breaks ground on $17.6 million pump station in Hoboken
