Flood Waters

Wildwood continues to fight never-ending battle against flooding
By TRUDI GILFILLIANStaff Writer, (609) 463-6716
Press of Atlantic City
Published: Wednesday, February 8, 2006
Updated: Wednesday, February 8, 2006

— With the city's highest point just 8.8 feet above mean sea level, Mayor Ernie Troiano Jr. knows he will never eliminate flooding.

“It's called being on a barrier island,” Troiano said Tuesday. Instead, the goal is to “reduce it where it's the worst.”

To that end, the city is starting a series of measures designed to reduce the amount of water that makes its way into city streets, particularly along the back-bay area, during high tides and heavy rains.

According to the city, the Ottens Harbor and Rio Grande Avenue area are particularly prone to flooding during severe weather when water rises over and through deteriorating bulkheads and into the catch basins in city streets causing them to overflow.

Troiano said the plan is to take several grants awarded to the city and spend the money on installing new bulkheads along Ottens Harbor to help block incoming tides.

Schoor Depalma, an engineering firm, has completed a storm-water analysis to determine the areas most affected, and the firm's recommendations will guide the project and its list of priorities.

Troiano said street ends scheduled for improvement include Poplar, Magnolia, Maple, Susquehanna, Montgomery, Niagra avenues, Park Boulevard at Ottens Harbor and Burk Avenue. That work should begin in the fall.

Troiano said the city is also planning to improve its infrastructure, which he joked dates back “to the beginning of time.”

The company recommended the reconstruction of several streets and the installation of new tide flex valves on the city's storm-water outfall pipes.

“One of the most effective solutions we've implemented has been the replacement of tide flex valves on the most critical storm-water outfalls,” said Glenn Balmer, sewer utility superintendent.

In a news release, Balmer said the valves are installed at the ends of storm-water outfall pipes to allow water to drain into the bay and not flow back through the pipes into the street.

Wildwood has received a $438,000 grant from the Environmental Protection Agency to support the anti-flooding initiatives. The city's contribution would be $197,000.

Troiano said he realized “We can only fight Mother Nature to a point, and there's no cure-all solution” but these projects will aid in controlling flooding as much as possible.”