Conference will Address Impact of Flooding in Passaic County

Local, state, and federal officials will gather at a conference in May to explore the impact of flooding in the Passaic River Basin, how they have responded in the past, and what the possible solutions are for alleviating flooding in the future.

The conference will be held at on Wednesday, May 2.

Local officials and residents have said for some time now that flooding in the basin is getting worse. Some blame the floodgates on the Pompton River dam. Others blame the increased soil movement that is a result of the development that has gone on in basin in the past 10 or 15 years.

Hurricane Irene caused , especially Wayne, when it dumped 10 inches of rain on North Jersey in August of last year.

Vincent Mazzei Jr., will be the keynote speaker. Mazzei is the supervising environmental engineer of the state Department of Environmental Protection’s (DEP) Division of Land Use Regulation.

Two panels, composed of officials and representatives from various federal, state, and local agencies, will give presentations and answer attendees’ questions.

One panel will speak about how to plan for and respond to a flooding disaster.

The following individuals will serve on the panel: Terence Winters from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Roy Messaros, from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Maryann Trommelen, form the Passaic County Office of Emergency Management, and David Rosenblatt, from the DEP’s Office of Engineering and Construction.

The second panel will address planning and response efforts by local municipalities and the state regarding flooding.

The following individuals will serve on that panel: Wayne Mayor Christopher Vergano, Paterson Mayor Jeffrey Jones, and state Assemblyman Scott Rumana.

The event will be held from 6 to 9 p.m. Reservations need to be submitted by April 18.

To make a reservation, call 973-720-2194.

For more information, call 973-720-2354 or click here.