| Author | Message | ||
     Daniel M. Jacobs, PP, AICP Supporter Username: Conrail Post Number: 26 Registered: 1-2004 |
The east branch of the Rahway River runs through a concrete channel between Montrose Avenue and Meadowlands Place (?). My neighbors have told me that this flood control project was completed by the Army Corps of Engineers in either 1945 or the late 1960s, depending who you ask. Another neighbor told me that their (1920's era) house was moved (that is rolled down the street) to accomodate the Army Corps project. Does anyone know anything about this flood control project (or projects, if there were several)? Who sought it? When was is completed? What level of flood was it designed for? Also, one of my neighbors (perhaps joking?) told me that their survey showed a "taking" by the Army Corps for the project, but included a note retaining the property's docking rights on the river! Were there ever really plans to make the river navigable? - Daniel | ||
| Lizziecat Citizen Username: Lizziecat Post Number: 616 Registered: 5-2003 |
The flood control project was completed in the early 70's. I don't know what level of flood it was designed for, but I do remember that during heavy rains, like the ones we had a couple of weeks ago, the area down near the river used to be under water. Homes sustained large amounts of damage when their basements filled. This happened for several years in a row. One year my husband was driving on Meadowbrook place in a VW camper bus during a rainstorm. The car began to fill with water and he had to abandon it. The engine was ruined. My children attended Montrose School, and during a flood the school had to be evacuated. Fortunately for us, our house is up on the hill above Ridgewood, so we weren't flooded. I never heard of anyone's house being rolled down the street. I suppose it's possible, but it sounds to me like urban legend. I do remember that a friend who lived right next to the river on Montrose Avenue kept trying to tell the engineers that it didn't look as if the two ends of the bridge were going to meet properly. They ignored her, but it turned out that she was right and they had to correct their construction. | ||
| ken (the other one) Citizen Username: Ken Post Number: 248 Registered: 5-2001  |
The Army Corp did the flood control project in 1976-77. I lived around the corner from the brook and we got flooded out all the time. The problem was that the brook in South Orange was not channelled out deep enough and had shallow mud walls. After one devasting flood around 74-75, the house on Montrose, right next to the brook on the west side, had it's foundation torn away by the raging current. We all thought the house was going to fall over. I have photos of that somewhere. The Army Corp came in and dug out the whole brook from the Orange border to the Maplewood Border, putting in new bridges and concrete walls. I remember South Orange Ave being diverted onto a temp bridge so the work could be done. | ||
| Bob K Supporter Username: Bobk Post Number: 8276 Registered: 5-2001 |
Similar work was done in Maplewood, but the work appears much older. The old river walls in Memorial Park were stone and pretty much destroyed during TS Floyd. Also you can see similar work on the streets behind Jefferson School. I remember seeing a map at Town Hall showing a good part of that area as in a flood zone. Ken probably knows when that work was done. BTW, as a personal opinion, the work done in SO, especially around Meadowlands Park and Flood's Hill is ugly. I hope the beautification program goes through. Houses can be moved, sometimes fair distances. They are jacked up, beams and trucks put under them and moved, slowly I might add. | ||
| mjc Citizen Username: Mjc Post Number: 469 Registered: 10-2004 |
What level of flood was it designed for? I couldn't say; but when Floyd went through, I would say the river was 6-8" below the top of the (formerly ugly, but now greatly appreciated) concrete wall in our back yard. Well, yes the concrete is ugly, and the channel isn't nicely laid out the way it is in Memorial Park in Mpl, but walking along the river from Mead St. to South Orange, you can still see a lot of river life, birds, animals, plants as the seasons go round. It would be nice to have a couple of benches overlooking it, so people would know there's something there worth looking at. | ||
| thegoodsgt Citizen Username: Thegoodsgt Post Number: 824 Registered: 2-2002  |
I'll echo mjc's comments. We live along the channel, and it often attracts birds and ducks. And the sound of running water is very soothing on a cool summer night when we can leave the windows open. It's interesting to trace the length of the channel using the new Google satellite imagery. | ||
| thegoodsgt Citizen Username: Thegoodsgt Post Number: 829 Registered: 2-2002 |
Ken (the other one). Please contact me offline. I have sent you a private line but am not sure you received it. thegoodsgt@aol.com | ||
| bets Supporter Username: Bets Post Number: 1464 Registered: 6-2001  |
Ken - I remember events as you do. I remember boating next to the tennis courts as a child (there were people ferrying people back and forth from vose to ridgewood). | ||
| Daniel M. Jacobs, PP, AICP Supporter Username: Conrail Post Number: 30 Registered: 1-2004 |
If you are willing to share the story, I would love to hear it. Also, if anyone knows anything else about the flood control project, particularly whether the project was phased and whether any private property had to be taken, that would be great too! | ||
| Psychomom Citizen Username: Psychomom Post Number: 30 Registered: 5-2005 |
I recollect the last part of the project was done in the 70's. Prior to that the area around Cameron Field would flood pretty badly. Many times the River and the Duck Pond met and you couldn't tell where one ended and the other began. I worked as a camp counselor in the Daycamp run by the SO recreation department while I was in college in the early 70's. There was one storm in particular that was so bad we had to evacuate the kids from the low area underneath the RR bridge near the Baird Community House. The police came with canoes and rowboats. I was in charge of the little ones (5yr olds) and carried them up to their worried parents who were waiting up on Scotland Road! One of the camp counselor's drove a VW bug and it started floating... we pushed it to higher land. The Army Corps of engineers were called in very soon after that and it seemed to solve the problem. They deepened and widened the river and reinforced the banks with concrete. | ||
| Psychomom Citizen Username: Psychomom Post Number: 33 Registered: 5-2005 |
Actually I realized it was Vose not Scotland Road |
