NJ Wants Plan To Slow Severe-Storm, Flooding Damage In 239 Towns

New Jersey wants to plan prevent climate-change's potentially devastating impacts – particularly in 239 towns that are susceptible to flooding.

Commissioner Catherine R. McCabe announced Tuesday that the state Department of Environmental Protection is launching work on a comprehensive plan to make coastal areas more resilient to the impacts of severe storms and sea-level rise.

The "Coastal Resilience Plan" will become a blueprint for protection of property, lives, infrastructure and natural environments by guiding policies, regulations, resources and funding, he said.

“Our coast is an ecological and economic treasure, integral to our identity as a state,” McCabe said during the Coastal Resilience Summit at Monmouth University in West Long Branch.

The plan would target New Jersey's coastal zone, which covers 3,218 square miles and comprises 239 communities. It includes all areas covered under the Coastal Area Facility Review Act, the Waterfront Development Area and the New Jersey Meadowlands District.

Approximately 53 percent of New Jersey’s total population resides in the coastal zone, with thousands more visiting cities, towns, beaches, parks and other popular locations every day. Here are the areas that will be targeted:

The DEP also announced the awarding of grants of up to $200,000 each for four regional planning teams to identify and develop innovative solutions to coastal and river flooding. Grants were awarded to teams comprised of local officials and community groups in Hudson and Essex counties, Middlesex County, Long Beach Island, and Atlantic City and its neighboring communities.

Each team will be responsible for identifying regional assets, setting resilience priorities, selecting a community-supported comprehensive resilience and adaptation strategy, and implementing actions from that strategy.

Funding for the regional planning grants comes from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s National Disaster Resilience grant program. The teams and their members are:

• Jersey City Team – Jersey City, Newark, Hoboken, Bayonne, the HOPES Community Action Partnership and the Ironbound Community Corporation.
• Middlesex County Team – Middlesex County Office of Planning, Old Bridge, Perth Amboy, Sayreville, South River, Woodbridge and the Lower Raritan Watershed Partnership.
• Long Beach Island Team – Long Beach Township, Barnegat Light, Beach Haven, Harvey Cedars, Ship Bottom, Surf City and the Long Beach Island Community Center.
• Ventnor Team – Brigantine, Atlantic City, Ventnor, Margate, Longport, Northfield, Pleasantville, Atlantic County and the American Red Cross.

The summit, meanwhile, was attended by coastal researchers, municipal officials and other stakeholders. “Faced with the realities of global warming and sea-level rise, it is imperative that we put in place a cohesive, integrated plan that safeguards this treasure,” McCabe said.

McCabe stressed that the resilience plan will ensure all of New Jersey’s communities adapt to sea-level rise effectively – including the highly urbanized areas around Raritan and Sandy Hook bays, the coastal headlands of Monmouth County, the barrier islands of central and southern New Jersey, and the Delaware Bay region.

Over the next year, the DEP will conduct extensive outreach to gather stakeholder input as well as advice from coastal scientists and environmental leaders. The DEP has launched a Coastal Resilience Plan website to provide important updates on the plan and other information, including meeting dates and research projects.

The DEP is concurrently developing a planning support system that will help inform the development of coastal resilience strategies and funding. This system will reveal the relationships of environmental, economic, and social factors that must be considered for efficient and effective risk management in a changing coastal environment, officials said.

“There is no one-size-fits all solution,” McCabe said. “Adapting to sea-level rise requires innovation, flexibility and commitment to planning and preparation.”

Manasquan Borough photo