NHSA installs wet weather pumps on Observer Highway in Hoboken
HOBOKEN – The North Hudson Sewerage Authority, which is currently building a wet weather pump in downtown Hoboken, moved one step closer to addressing flooding in the southwestern area of the city on May 21 when contractors lowered two wet weather pumps into an underground chamber along Observer Highway.
The wet weather pump station project is being paid for entirely by the NHSA, which oversees the North Hudson County wastewater system, but a grant for $5 million under the American Resource Recovery Act (ARRA) covered some of the approximate $18 million cost.
“There’s a lot of misunderstanding about the causes of flooding in Hoboken,” said Authority Executive Director Frederic Pocci in a statement. “Flooding into the streets essentially occurs when there is an intense rain event at the same time that the Hudson River is at high tide. Much of Hoboken is below sea level, as measured by the average high tide, so when rain water travels through the combined sewer lines to the Hudson and meets the high tide head‐on, it backs up into the streets. The flooding has nothing to do with the size of the sewer lines or the catch basins, which are now in good condition and have been regularly maintained by the Authority for years.”
The new wet weather pump station is designed to handle flows generated by what meteorologists refer to as “a five year rain event.” This is a rainfall intensity of up to 1.3 inches an hour, with a total of 4.2 inches for the entire event, according to a press release.
“We expect to have the pump station on line and operative before the end of the year, if everything continues to go well,” said Dr. Richard Wolff, authority chairman.
The pump will be underground, and the only visible portion of the new system will be an electrical building. The pump is located on Observer Highway near Hudson Street, close to the New Jersey Transit terminal. – Ray Smith
JC cop carjacked at car wash, then gives chase in stranger’s car
JERSEY CITY — Armed thieves carjacked an off-duty Jersey City police officer who had just come out of a car wash on Saturday afternoon, driving away with his Mercedes as he fired shots at it, according to media reports.
The officer was standing beside his car after getting it washed at a car wash at Garfield Avenue and Caven Point Road, according to NJ.com. The car was running and the thieves jumped into it.
According to the report, the officer fired a round of shots at the car, then asked a person there to borrow his car so he could give chase. He chased the car on Carteret Avenue and lost sight of it, according to the report.
Honeywell teachers’ institute accepting applications
STATEWIDE – For the fourth consecutive year in a row, scholarships are available for the annual Honeywell Institute for Ecosystems Education for middle and high school science and social studies teachers. This year the program is being expanded to include teachers from Hudson County.
The summer institute will take place from Aug. 15 through 19 and brings together classroom instruction with diverse outdoor experiences at sites throughout the Hackensack watershed to better engage and inspire students in the classroom.
The goal of the program is to provide teachers with up-to-date strategies and inspiring lesson plans that take the curriculum from the textbook to a unique, “hands-on” approach to geology, watershed dynamics, and human-ecosystems dependencies. Activities during the program led by environmental educators and naturalists include an exploration through forested and field habitats, an eco-cruise on the Hackensack River and investigation of both freshwater streams and tidal salt marshes.
This year, 28 teachers will receive free tuition for the summer institute, classroom resource materials, a monetary stipend for program completion and 30 hours of professional development credit. The program is aligned with New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards in Science and Social Studies.
Applications are due by June 10, 2011. Teachers who are interested in applying can visit http://www.njaudubon.org/SectionEducation/HoneywellInstituteforEcosystemsEducation.aspx or call (609) 861-1608, ext. 13.
Help for homeowners facing foreclosure
STATEWIDE — The state’s Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency has announced the New Jersey HomeKeeper program, a federally-funded effort to help homeowners who are in danger of foreclosure due to a layoff or underemployment. Through the program homeowners can receive two-year loans in the amount of $48,000 or less. Loans are in the form of second mortgage loans. Proceeds from the loans may be used to cover overdue mortgage payments, property taxes, property insurance, or mortgage insurance.
The HomeKeeper initiative is funded through a grant from the U.S. Department of Treasury’s Hardest Hit Fund.
For more information, visit www.njhomekeeper.gov. Residents can also call the mayor’s office at (201) 330-2005.