Community Corner
State Blocks Controversial South Mountain Dam Proposal
DEP requests the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to consider two other options instead of the dam.
State officials have rejected a proposed dam in the South Mountain Reservation to alleviate downstream flooding of the Rahway River.
The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection's Bureau of Dam Safety and Flood Control has requested the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to consider two other proposals not involving the dam, according to NJ.com.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers had proposed a 70-foot high and 880-foot long dam for the reservation near the Millburn Township line to help prevent future flooding in downstream towns like Cranford.
The Save Our Reservation group voiced concerns over the proposed plan, saying the dam and the associated 110-acre dry detention basin is misguided and would irreparably damage the treasured century-old South Mountain Reservation.
Essex County Executive Joseph DiVincenzo also opposed the dam, saying it would have destroyed the "pristine" and "beautiful" atmosphere of the South Mountain Reservation.
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