The Bordentown City municipality is taking steps to raise environmental awareness at a local level.
The Bordentown City Commissioners passed a resolution at a meeting on June 10 to become a member of the Burlington County Coastal Communities Coalition.
The coalition is aimed to gather 13 waterfront municipalities to raise awareness as well as combat flooding and erosion along the Delaware River and the Rancocas Creek.
The program was initiated by Delran Township Mayor Ken Paris in April after he reported that the township had difficulties receiving state and federal support to contest township flooding.
Bordentown City Mayor James Lynch, who revealed that he was approached by Mayor Paris, decided the organization’s aimed efforts would benefit the municipality’s residents and businesses.
Given the city’s location proximity to several creeks and major bodies of water, Mayor Lynch explained that the area has experienced multiple flooding issues in recent years, some unprecedented.
“I was approached by the mayor of Delran who instituted this coalition and you might find that since Bordentown is located on a bluff, you may feel or think that we don’t have those conditions that other communities do, but in reality, we do,” Lynch reported. “We have Blacks Creek, which is prone to flooding near Burlington Street and our main beach area that floods quite frequently, and more frequently than ever.”
Although no specific reason toward the flooding issues in the area has yet to be determined by the municipality, the resolution passed does point toward global climate change as a potential source.
The resolution said that given scientific studies showing that Global Warming has increased coastal flooding and shoreline erosion in frequency and/or greater intensity, significant portions of land along the Delaware River and Rancocas Creek and other river communities are located in flood hazardous area.
Along with potential sea level rise, it poses a risk to commercial and residential properties along these bodies of water as well as transportation and utilities, according to the resolution.
City officials said they have scheduled a meeting with the New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) to discuss the stormwater runoff coming off Route 130 and Route 206 after heavy rainstorms flooded the Chestnut Village apartments as well as other residential properties in Bordentown.
Lynch also noted that the area has seen dredging issues as well for boaters in some bodies of water.
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, dredging is the removal of sediments and debris from the bottom of lakes, rivers, harbors, and other water bodies. Dredging often is focused on maintaining or increasing the depth of navigation channels, anchorages, or berthing areas to ensure the safe passage of boats and ships.
Administrative officials said multiple effects may arise during the process due to the excavation of sediments at the waterbed, loss of material during transport to the surface, overflow from the dredger whilst loading and loss of material from the dredger and/or pipelines during transport.
“We have a dredging issue in the creek for boaters and most recently, commissioner Joe Myers and myself have become involved in stormwater runoff issues from Route 206 and Route 130 going into the apartments down through people’s properties,” Lynch said. “These are issues we want to see at the table and make sure that the state of New Jersey is aware of. This is a problem.”
Lynch said that as a member of the coalition, the objective of the group is to conduct frequent meetings with members and representatives to discuss common flood groundwater, flood, and erosion problems plagued in communities and develop strategies to mitigate these issues.
The group is also aimed to discuss problems and engage regional, state and federal representatives, groups, committees or commissions as may be appropriate in the assist of execution of mitigation plans as well as generate letters to state representatives to discuss this issue.
