NJ Society of Municipal Engineers
Flood Mitigation Engineering Hailed by NJ Society of Municipal Engineers
PMK Group, a consulting engineering firm and a division of Birdsall Services Group, Inc. (BSG), announced that they are the recipients of the 2007 Municipal Construction Project of the Year Award for their work in the Town of Secaucus, NJ. The firm and the municipality have been honored for engineering solutions aimed at flood mitigation in the Harmon Cove area of the town. The prestigious award is bestowed by the New Jersey Society of Municipal Engineers and is given annually to a construction project that makes a significant difference to residents and businesses in a New Jersey municipality.
Several items contributed to poor stormwater conveyance and management in the area in and around Harmon Cove, including insufficient pumping capacity at the Golden Avenue stormwater pump station, deteriorated culverts along the drainage way, and the elevation of various properties in relation to the mean high tide elevation relative to Sack Creek.
According to Secaucus Mayor Dennis Elwell, business leaders, civic leaders, and citizens who live and work in the area have been in search of solutions to flooding for some time.
The municipality hired local engineering & consulting firm, PMK Group, Inc., to design and implement a solution. After an extensive hydraulic study and the necessary permits were secured, it was decided that a tide gate along with a redesigned pump station at the Golden Avenue stormwater pumping station would be the most cost efficient solution for the complex task. A new pump chamber, which included two new screw pumps next to the existing pumping station, increased pumping capacity to help reduce residential flooding in the immediate surrounding residential area. Outfalls were constructed, along with an extensive reengineering effort of the underground conveyance system, to better carry and manage stormwater flow to and from the station.
The five million dollar project received a one million dollar grant from the Economic Development Administration. The balance was funded by the Environmental Infrastructure Trust which is sponsored by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection.
According to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), flooding is New Jersey’s number one natural hazard and should be of primary concern to municipalities statewide. The damage caused by flooding is often irreversible, resulting in total losses. However, in some cases flood mitigation engineering may provide the solution.
