Public Information Meeting Rahway River Basin, New Jersey Flood Risk Management Feasibility Study U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New York District New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection 7 February 2017 The views, opinions and findings contained in this report are those of the authors(s) and should not be construed as an official Department of the Army position, policy or decision, unless so designated by other official documentation. New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection US Army Corps of Engineers New York District BUILDING STRONG 1
Public Information Meeting Outline Selected Plan Impacts to Orange Benefits Construction Operation Cost of Plan Schedule Comments and contacts 2
Rahway River Basin Flood Risk Management Feasibility Study Project Area 3
Benefit to Cost Analysis 4
Tentatively Selected Plan - Cranford 5
Tentatively Selected Plan - Cranford TSP - Cranford Alt 4a, Description for Cranford/Orange: New outlet 2-36 pipes at Orange Reservoir, with manual draw down two days before predicted storms. Approximately 8,930 ft of trapezoidal channel modifications throughout the Rahway River in Cranford Township. This alternative is likely to contain the 4% annual chance flood (25 year). Orange Reservoir will mitigate the increase in downstream flow caused by deepening and widening the channel. Orange Reservoir re-fill times: 6
Orange Reservoir Dam Details 7
Benefits to Orange Contingent upon Orange Dam part of the USACE project: Reduced flooding at the paddle boat house and the Ice Skating parking lot Safer dam Federal Support with the Dam (inspections, technical support, possibly federal repairs if damaged by a storm) 8
Orange Reservoir Without & With Project Inundation Mapping (25-Year Floodplain) 9
Photo of intake structure with reservoir lowered about 23 feet 1957 El. 323.7 Proposed Reservoir drawdown elevation El. 316.8 El. 307.0 10
Orange Reservoir Downstream Face (Trees) 11
Orange Reservoir Main Spillway (Undermined) 12
Orange Reservoir Concerns Dam is over 100 years old. Main Spillway is undermined. Overflow Spillway appears to be under designed and the energy dissipation could be insufficient. Orange Reservoir Dam must meet the Corps design standards & regulations once it s part of the Corps project. As geotechnical and structural data was not available, a cost estimate was developed with the worst case assumption of replacing the dam. Dam assessments will need to be performed to provide an accurate cost for modifying the dam. These include sub-surface investigations (borings, radar, etc.) as well as hydrologic/hydraulic, failure mode, structural, seepage and seismic analyses. These investigation studies will be performed in design phase. Full replacement of the dam may not be necessary once more information is available. If full replacement is not required, the cost of modifying the dam could significantly decrease. 13
Orange Reservoir Dam Assumptions for Construction Item Assumed Case Possible Range Construction Period 24 months 21-36 months Reservoir Drawdown dry dry - 10 feet Coffer Dam None None to 30 foot Bypass Flow Unchanged Unchanged Exercise Path (top of dam) Unusable: 24 months Unusable 36-12 months Boating Unusable: 24 months Usable: 36 0 months 14
Environmental Compliance for Orange Reservoir Collection and relocation of fish within the Orange Reservoir prior to drawdown for dam replacement. Performing slow drawdown prior to construction to minimize erosion and sedimentation downstream of reservoir. Stabilize reservoir shoreline and bed with grass seed during dam replacement drawdown. Maintain partial access to walking path along reservoir during dam replacement. Historic property surveys and documentation of the reservoir and dam in coordination with New Jersey Office of State Historic Preservation and others. 15
Operation Corps of Engineers will supply an Operation and Maintenance (O&M) Manual to the State, which will specifically establish the operation plan. The O&M Manual will be jointly coordinated with the Corps, the State and Local communities. When more than approximately 4 inches of rain (5-yr event) is forecasted by the National Weather Service for the Rahway River within the next two days. The gates to the dam will be fully opened manually. As the forecast is updated the operation of the gate would be adjusted. Gates will be nearly closed when the rain starts. The responsibility for operation the gates will be agreed upon before completion of the project. The State, the Water Company or one of the local communities are likely candidates for the operation. 16
TSP Cost Sharing Federal Non-Federal Total Initial Project Cost $57,950,100 $31,203,900 $89,154,000 Real Estate Credit $3,473,000 $3,473,000 Cash Contribution $27,730,900 $27,730,900 Total $57,950,100 $31,203,900 $89,154,000 As TSP is optimized plan costs and scale are subject to change. The Final Report scheduled for public release in July 2017 will contain optimized costs and scale. 17
Projected Feasibility Study Schedule Milestones Dates Public Review of Draft EIS Begins 9 December 2016 Public Review of Draft EIS Closes 7 February 2017 Final Report November 2017 Chiefs Report (for Congress) May 2018 Project Partnership (PPA) Execution July 2018 Prepare Plans & RFP August 2018 Contract Award February 2020 Construction Complete July 2023 18
Public Review Period All study documents may be found at: www.nan.usace.army.mil/rahway Public Comment Period Closes 7 February 2017 Comments should be submitted via email to: RahwayRiver@usace.army.mil Includes instructions on how to submit comments via email and regular mail. Comments can also be submitted via mail to: Kimberly Rightler U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New York District CENAN-PL-E 26 Federal Plaza New York, NY 10278 Comments provided will become part of the public record for this EIS. Comments submitted will be fully considered during preparation of the final EIS. All written comments, including names and address, will be made a apart of the administrative record, available to the public under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). The Administrative Record or portions thereof, may be also be posted on a Corps of Engineers internet website. 19
Study Contact Information Study Contacts Rifat Salim Project Manager U.S. Army Corps of Engineer, New York District 917-790 - 8215 rifat.salim@usace.army.mil John Moyle, P.E. Chief of Dam Safety & Flood Control NJ Dept. of Environmental Protection 609 984-0859 John.Moyle@dep.state.nj.us 20