BRICK – Several residents from the Baywood lagoon community attended a recent Township Council meeting to ask for help with frequent flooding on their street that sometimes leaves them stranded.
Mary Ann Mcevoy, who has lived on Cartagena Drive since 1996, said in the past they would have minor flooding when the water would come up through the storm drains but they had ample time to move cars if they had an appointment or had to go to work.
The frequency and severity of flooding increased about five years ago, she said. “The water flow is voluminous – it’s quick-flowing, there’s no time to prepare and to move your vehicles.”
Mcevoy said the water in the streets reach two to three feet and become impassable. Cars have become submerged, and some people have lost their vehicles trying to get out, she said.
These two undeveloped lots are sometimes blamed for the flooding. (Photo by Judy Smestad-Nunn)
Dave Przybylko said when he moved to the street four years ago there was no flood issue. He said that he and his wife have missed numerous days of work because they can’t drive through the deep water.
Robert Lee, a resident since the mid-1960s, said that Cartagena Drive always stayed dry in the past. He partly blames the flooding on new home construction on the bay. “There’s got to be a solution,” he said. Lee was concerned about being able to get out during a medical emergency.
Some of the residents blamed the flooding on two undeveloped lots that do not have bulkheads.
Mayor Lisa Crate said she has had a lot of conversations, phone calls and exchange of emails with the residents of Cartagena Drive regarding the flooding problem.
“I just want to update the council so they understand where we stand,” she said.
The township engineer, Elissa Commins, had a meeting with two members of the NJ Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to see what possibilities there are for that area of Cartagena Drive and if the township can do anything to help mitigate the flooding there, she said.
“Just an FYI for you guys, I don’t think you realize this, we already did a roadway elevation there, so we’re not able to do that again because we’ve already gone above what our usual roadway elevations are for that particular road,” Mayor Crate said.
Everything the administration proposed to the DEP was not acceptable and not allowable, such as a bulkhead or a berm that could block the water, because it would need to be anchored for safety, which would require CAFRA approval, so that was off the table, the mayor said.
CAFRA refers to the Coastal Area Facilities Review Act which oversees development near bodies of water.
Although dry a few days after the storm, this area of Cartagena Drive close to the Barnegat Bay floods quickly, residents said. (Photo by Judy Smestad-Nunn)
“So we went back and we tried to do a 12-inch berm curb, and that’s not really acceptable, so we have been working with the residents, we tried, we’ve worked with the DEP, and we too are hitting roadblocks,” she said. “I just wanted to update you on what we’ve done so far.”
The mayor said that she and Township Business Administrator Joanne Bergin would once again reach out to the two DEP officials to see if they would be willing to meet with the Cartagena Drive residents themselves so they could explain the situation directly to them.
She said the township has high water vehicles and boats that can get the residents out during an emergency.
“That’s what our police are for – they want to come out and they want to assist you and they will assist you, so if you have a medical emergency and you need to get out, please do not hesitate to call our police department,” the mayor said. “We’re not leaving any resident in a situation where they cannot receive assistance if there’s a medical issue.”
The next council meeting will be on Tuesday July 9 at 7 p.m.
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