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At the same time, these landscapes provide critical habitat and natural defenses that protect people, ecosystems and myriad wildlife. Coastal ecological restoration restores natural systems and strengthens future resilience to climate impacts. Earlier this month, our team joined the New Jersey Coastal Resilience Collaborative (NJCRC) for its Coastal Ecological Restoration Technical Workshop, a full-day, in-person event held at the Rutgers EcoComplex in Bordentown, NJ. The workshop convened coastal stakeholders, researchers, practitioners, and managers to share knowledge and explore the latest science advancing coastal ecological restoration. Inside the Workshop The day began with a work group session, “Advancing Science-Based Ecological Restoration Across New Jersey’s Coast,” led by a panel of experts and followed by an interactive Q&A. Click here to view the presentation. Participants then chose from a variety of technical sessions covering topics such as, eDNA and Water Quality as Indicators of Coastal Ecological Health; Smart Permitting for Restoration; and Diatoms as Ecological Indicators in Living Shoreline Applications. Dana Patterson Grear, Princeton Hydro's Director of Marketing & Communications, delivered an engaging presentation titled, "How to Build a Digital Communications Toolkit for Climate Action." She provided practical guidance for turning communication into a powerful tool for advancing ecological restoration and climate resilience, including how to develop tailored climate messaging, understand the values of your audience and remove personal bias, and determine your level of engagement and capacity. Dana's presentation broke down complex communication strategies into actional steps that attendees can apply directly to their work. Click here to view her presentation slides. [gallery link="none" columns="2" size="medium" ids="18298,18297" orderby="rand"] Beyond the educational workshops, networking breaks, shared meals, and a post-workshop reception created opportunities to connect and collaborate. And, as a fun and fitting bonus, each participant went home with a complimentary native plant courtesy of Pinelands Nursery. More About Coastal Restoration Coastal ecological restoration involves the rehabilitation and creation of coastal ecosystems, like wetlands, reefs, and shorelines, with the goal of restoring the natural processes and functions. These efforts provide long-term protection from erosion, create habitat for fish and wildlife, and build community resilience against flooding and storm surge. At Princeton Hydro, we understand the impacts of climate change, including sea level rise, and use tools such as vulnerability assessments to inform our restoration designs. Our team specializes in designing and implementing living shorelines and habitat restoration projects. We combine field data, empirical approaches, ecological and geomorphic understanding, hydrologic and hydraulic modeling, and state-of-the-art computer programming technology to develop our designs. Our nature-based solutions deliver lasting ecological and community benefits. A prime example of this work is the Spring Creek North Ecosystem Restoration project, located in Brooklyn and Queens, NY. Once part of the expansive Jamaica Bay wetland system, Spring Creek's salt marshes were heavily degraded over the last century. Princeton Hydro was contracted by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New York District to lead the design and engineering for this restoration effort. Construction efforts began in early October 2025. Once completed, the project will restore approximately 43 acres of habitat within a 67-acre footprint, including low and high marsh, scrub shrub wetland, and maritime upland. Efforts also aim to improve water quality, increase biodiversity, and strengthen the overall Jamaica Bay ecosystem. Key restoration activities include:
Coastal communities are on the frontlines of climate change, facing rising seas, stronger storms, and eroding shorelines. At the same time, these landscapes provide critical habitat and natural defenses that protect people, ecosystems and myriad wildlife. Coastal ecological restoration restores natural systems and strengthens future resilience to climate impacts.
Earlier this month, our team joined the New Jersey Coastal Resilience Collaborative (NJCRC) for its Coastal Ecological Restoration Technical Workshop, a full-day, in-person event held at the Rutgers EcoComplex in Bordentown, NJ. The workshop convened coastal stakeholders, researchers, practitioners, and managers to share knowledge and explore the latest science advancing coastal ecological restoration.
The day began with a work group session, “Advancing Science-Based Ecological Restoration Across New Jersey’s Coast,” led by a panel of experts and followed by an interactive Q&A. Click here to view the presentation. Participants then chose from a variety of technical sessions covering topics such as, eDNA and Water Quality as Indicators of Coastal Ecological Health; Smart Permitting for Restoration; and Diatoms as Ecological Indicators in Living Shoreline Applications.
Dana Patterson Grear, Princeton Hydro's Director of Marketing & Communications, delivered an engaging presentation titled, "How to Build a Digital Communications Toolkit for Climate Action." She provided practical guidance for turning communication into a powerful tool for advancing ecological restoration and climate resilience, including how to develop tailored climate messaging, understand the values of your audience and remove personal bias, and determine your level of engagement and capacity. Dana's presentation broke down complex communication strategies into actional steps that attendees can apply directly to their work. Click here to view her presentation slides.
Beyond the educational workshops, networking breaks, shared meals, and a post-workshop reception created opportunities to connect and collaborate. And, as a fun and fitting bonus, each participant went home with a complimentary native plant courtesy of Pinelands Nursery.
Coastal ecological restoration involves the rehabilitation and creation of coastal ecosystems, like wetlands, reefs, and shorelines, with the goal of restoring the natural processes and functions. These efforts provide long-term protection from erosion, create habitat for fish and wildlife, and build community resilience against flooding and storm surge.
At Princeton Hydro, we understand the impacts of climate change, including sea level rise, and use tools such as vulnerability assessments to inform our restoration designs. Our team specializes in designing and implementing living shorelines and habitat restoration projects. We combine field data, empirical approaches, ecological and geomorphic understanding, hydrologic and hydraulic modeling, and state-of-the-art computer programming technology to develop our designs. Our nature-based solutions deliver lasting ecological and community benefits.
A prime example of this work is the Spring Creek North Ecosystem Restoration project, located in Brooklyn and Queens, NY. Once part of the expansive Jamaica Bay wetland system, Spring Creek's salt marshes were heavily degraded over the last century. Princeton Hydro was contracted by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New York District to lead the design and engineering for this restoration effort. Construction efforts began in early October 2025. Once completed, the project will restore approximately 43 acres of habitat within a 67-acre footprint, including low and high marsh, scrub shrub wetland, and maritime upland. Efforts also aim to improve water quality, increase biodiversity, and strengthen the overall Jamaica Bay ecosystem.
The following photos depict the degraded habitat and pre-construction conditions of the site. Stay tuned to our blog for more photos from each of the project phases.
Just 50 miles southeast of New York City, tucked between two municipalities, sits a 650+ acre tidal salt marsh which spans the shorelines of the South River in densely populated, highly developed Central New Jersey. The South River is the first major tributary of the Raritan River, located 8.3 miles upstream of the Raritan River’s mouth, which drains into Raritan Bay.
The Lower Raritan River and Raritan Bay make up a large part of the core of the NY-NJ Harbor and Estuary Program. Within the Raritan Estuary, the South River wetland ecosystem is one of the largest remaining wetland complexes. While the South River salt marsh ecosystem has been spared from direct development, it has been degraded in quality, and does not provide optimal habitat for wildlife or maximum flood protection for residents. This area is subject to fairly regular tidal flooding (particularly when it occurs simultaneously with a storm) and periodic—generally more severe—flooding during more significant events such as nor’easters and tropical storms. Hurricanes Irene and Sandy caused damage in the Boroughs of Sayreville and South River too.
In 2018, Princeton Hydro and Rutgers University, along with the Lower Raritan Watershed Partnership, Middlesex County, Borough of Sayreville, Borough of South River, NY/NJ Baykeeper, Raritan Riverkeeper, and the Sustainable Raritan River Initiative, secured funding from NFWF’s National Coastal Resilience Fund for the “South River Ecosystem Restoration & Flood Resiliency Enhancement Project.”
The South River Ecosystem Restoration and Flood Resiliency Enhancement Project aims to:
Reduce socioeconomic damages to the Boroughs of South River and Sayreville caused by storm damage, flooding, and sea level rise;
Transform degraded wetlands to high-quality marsh that can reduce flooding and enhance fish & wildlife habitat; and
Engage stakeholders in activities about coastal resilience and ecological health to maximize public outreach in the Raritan River Watershed.
For this 165-acre tidal marsh and transitional forest “eco-park,” the project team is conducting an ecosystem restoration site assessment and design. This phase of the coastal restoration project will result in a permit-ready engineering design plan that stabilizes approximately 2.5 miles of shoreline, reduces flood risk for smaller coastal storms, and enhances breeding and foraging habitat for 10 state-listed threatened and endangered avian species.
This area has experienced repeated flooding, especially during large storms. For example, coastal areas of Sayreville and South River flooded after Hurricane Floyd (1999), Tropical Storm Ernesto (2006), Hurricane Irene (2011), and Hurricane Sandy (2012). Over the last century, there have been several studies and assessments completed for the South River, many of which identify this project area as a priority location for flooding improvements. The following are key reports and studies published about the project area and surrounding communities:
NJ Legislature’s 71st Congress published a report, “Basinwide Water Resource Development Report on the Raritan River Basin” which focused on navigation and flood control for the entire Raritan River Basin. It discussed recommendations for flood control and local storm drainage, setting the stage for future actions.
NJDEP Division of Water Resources published Flood Hazard Reports for the Matchaponix Brook System and Raritan River Basin, which delineated the floodplains in the South River, and its tributaries, the Manalapan Brook and Matchaponix Brook.
USACE New York District released a “Survey Report for Flood Control, Raritan River Basin,” which served as a comprehensive study of the Raritan River Basin and recommended several additional studies. Although the South River was studied, none of the proposed improvements were determined to be economically feasible at that time.
Project area was listed as one of the Nation’s Estuaries of National Significance.
USACE conducted a multi-purpose study of this area. This preliminary investigation identified Federal interest in Hurricane and Storm Damage Reduction and ecosystem restoration along the South River and concluded that a 100-year level of structural protection would be technically and economically feasible.
USACE NYD and NJDEP released a joint draft, “Integrated Feasibility Report and Environmental Impact Statement” for the South River, Raritan River Basin, which focused on “Hurricane & Storm Damage Reduction and Ecosystem Restoration.” Because it was previously determined that there were no widespread flooding problems upstream, the study area was modified to focus on the flood-prone areas within the Boroughs of Sayreville and South River, as well as Old Bridge Township.
Through collaboration with our project partners and following input provided from a virtual stakeholder meeting held in December 2020, Princeton Hydro developed a conceptual design for an eco-park that incorporates habitat enhancement and restoration, and protective measures to reduce impacts from flooding while maximizing public access and utility. Public access includes trails for walking and designated areas for fishing. The eco-park can also be used for additional recreation activities such as bird watching and kayaking.
Highlights of the conceptual design include the following features:
Approximately two miles of trails with overlook areas, connection to fishing access, and a kayak launch.
~3,000 linear feet of living shoreline, located along portions of the Washington Canal and the South River, to provide protection from erosion, reduce the wake and wave action, and provide habitat for aquatic and terrestrial organisms.
~60 acres of enhanced upland forest to provide contiguous habitat areas for resident and migratory fauna.
A tidal channel that will connect to the existing mud flat on the southeastern part of the site and provide tidal flushing to proposed low and high marsh habitats along its banks.
A vegetated berm with a trail atop will extend the length of the site to help mitigate flood risk.
Two nesting platforms for Osprey, a species listed as “Threatened” in NJ
Designated nesting habitat for the Diamondback Terrapin, a species listed as “Special Concern” in NJ
Princeton Hydro specializes in the planning, design, permitting, implementing, and maintenance of ecological rehabilitation and floodplain management projects. Click here to read about a coastal rehabilitation and resiliency project we completed in New Jersey.
The Dunes at Shoal Harbor, a coastal residential community in Monmouth County, New Jersey, is situated adjacent to both the Raritan Bay and the New York City Ferry channel. In July 2018, Princeton Hydro was contracted to restore this coastal community that was severely impacted by Hurricane Sandy. Today, we are thrilled to report that the shoreline protection design plans have been fully constructed and the project is complete.
In order to protect the coastal community from flooding, a revetment had been constructed on the property many years ago. The revetment, however, was significantly undersized and completely failed during Hurricane Sandy. The community was subjected to direct wave attack and flooding, homes were damaged, beach access was impaired, and the existing site-wide stormwater management basin and outfall was completely destroyed.
The installation of a 15-foot rock revetment (one foot above the 100-year floodplain elevation) constructed with four-foot diameter boulders;
The replacement of a failed elevated timber walkway with a concrete slab-on-grade walkway, restoring portions of the existing bulkhead, clearing invasive plants, and the complete restoration of the failed stormwater basin and outlet; and
The development of natural barriers to reduce the impacts of storm surges and protect the coastal community, including planting stabilizing coastal vegetation to prevent erosion and installing fencing along the dune to facilitate natural dune growth.
During the final walkthrough earlier this month, the Princeton Hydro team captured drone footage of the completed project site. Click below to watch the video:
For more images and background information on this project, check out the following photo gallery and read our original blog post from July 2018:
For more information about Princeton Hydro’s engineering services, go here.
Wreck Pond is a tidal pond located on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean in southern Monmouth County, New Jersey. The 73-acre pond, which was originally connected to the sea by a small and shifting inlet, got its name in the 1800s due to the numerous shipwrecks that occurred at the mouth of the inlet. The Sea Girt Lighthouse was built to prevent such accidents. In the 1930s, the inlet was filled in and an outfall pipe was installed, thus creating Wreck Pond. The outfall pipe allowed limited tidal exchange between Wreck Pond and the Atlantic Ocean.
In the 1960s, Wreck Pond flourished with wildlife and was a popular destination for recreational activities with tourists coming to the area mainly from New York City and western New Jersey. In the early spring, hundreds of river herring would migrate into Wreck Pond, travelling up its tributaries — Wreck Pond Brook, Hurleys Pond Brook and Hannabrand Brook — to spawn. During the summer, the pond was bustling with recreational activities like swimming, fishing, and sailing.
Over time, however, the combination of restricted tidal flow and pollution, attributable to increased development of the watershed, led to a number of environmental issues within the watershed, including impaired water quality, reduced fish populations, and flooding.
Throughout the Wreck Pond watershed, high stream velocities during flood conditions have caused the destabilization and erosion of stream banks, which has resulted in the loss of riparian vegetation and filling of wetlands. Discharge from Wreck Pond during heavy rains conveys nonpoint source pollutants that negatively impact nearby Spring Lake and Sea Girt beaches resulting in beach closings due to elevated bacteria counts. Watershed erosion and sediment transported with stormwater runoff has also contributed to excessive amounts of sedimentation and accumulations of settled sediment, not only within Wreck Pond, but at the outfall pipe as well. This sediment further impeded tidal flushing and the passage of anadromous fish into and out of Wreck Pond.
In 2012, Hurricane Sandy caused wide-spread destruction throughout New Jersey and the entire eastern seaboard. The storm event also caused a major breach of the Wreck Pond watershed’s dune beach system and failure of the outfall pipe. The breach formed a natural inlet next to the outfall pipe, recreating the connection to the Atlantic Ocean that once existed. This was the first time the inlet had been open since the 1930s, and the reopening cast a new light on the benefits of additional flow between the pond and the ocean.
Hurricane Sandy sparked a renewed interest in reducing flooding impacts throughout the watershed, including efforts to restore the water quality and ecology of Wreck Pond. The breach caused by Hurricane Sandy was not stable, and the inlet began to rapidly close due to the deposition of beach sand and the discharge of sediment from Wreck Pond and its watershed.
Princeton Hydro and HDR generated the data used to support the goals of the feasibility study through a USACE-approved model of Wreck Pond that examined the dynamics of Wreck Pond along with the water bodies directly upland, the watershed, and the offshore waters in the immediate vicinity of the ocean outfall. The model was calibrated and verified using available “normalized” tide data. Neighboring Deal Lake, which is also tidally connected to the ocean by a similar outfall pipe, was used as the "reference" waterbody. The Wreck Pond System model evaluated the hydraulic characteristics of Wreck Pond with and without the modified outfall pipe, computed pollutant inputs from the surrounding watershed, and predicted Wreck Pond's water quality and ecological response. The calibrated model was also used to investigate the effects and longevity of dredging and other waterway feature modifications.
As part of the study, Princeton Hydro and HDR completed hazardous, toxic, and radioactive waste (HTRW) and geotechnical investigations of Wreck Pond's sediment to assess potential flood damage reduction and ecological restoration efforts of the waterbody. The investigation included the progression of 10 sediment borings conducted within the main body of Wreck Pond, as well as primary tributaries to the pond. The borings, conducted under the supervision of our geotechnical staff, were progressed through the surgical accumulated sediment, not the underlying parent material. Samples were collected for analysis by Princeton Hydro’s AMRL-accredited (AASHTO Materials Reference Library) and USACE-certified laboratory. In accordance with NJDEP requirements, sediment samples were also forwarded to a subcontracted analytical laboratory for analysis of potential nonpoint source pollutants.
In the geotechnical laboratory, the samples were subjected to geotechnical indexing tests, including grain size, organic content, moisture content, and plasticity/liquid limits. For soil strength parameters, the in-field Standard Penetration Test (SPT), as well as laboratory unconfined compression tests, were performed on a clay sample to provide parameters for slope stability modeling.
The culvert construction and sediment dredging were completed at the end of 2016. Continued restoration efforts, informed and directed by the data developed through Princeton Hydro's feasibility study, are helping to reduce the risk of flooding to surrounding Wreck Pond communities, increase connectivity between the pond and ocean, and improve water quality. The overall result is a healthier, more diverse, and more resilient Wreck Pond ecosystem.
To learn more about our geotechnical engineering services, click here.
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In this two part blog series, we showcase our work in the Moodna Creek Watershed in order to explore some of the concepts and methods used to estimate flood risk for existing conditions and the year 2050 and develop a flood management strategy (Part One), and traditional engineering and natural systems solutions used to manage and reduce flood risk (Part Two).
The greater Moodna Creek watershed covers 180 square miles of eastern Orange County, NY. The watershed includes 22 municipalities and hundreds of streams before joining the Hudson River. This region has seen tremendous growth in recent years with the expansion of regional transit networks and critical infrastructure.
The Moodna Creek watershed can be split into two sub-basins — the Upper Moodna Creek and the Lower Moodna Creek. In the span of 15 months, Hurricane Irene, Tropical Storm Lee, and Hurricane Sandy each have caused significant flooding throughout the Moodna Creek watershed, damaging public facilities, roadways, and private properties. Both sub-basin communities have noted a concern about increased flood risk as more development occurs.
As global temperatures rise, climate models are predicting more intense rainfall events. And, the flood risk for communities along waterways — like the Moodna Creek watershed — will likely increase as time passes. In order to understand existing and future risk from flood events in this flood-prone area, a flood risk management strategy needed to be developed. The strategy uses a cost-benefit analysis to review the feasibility of each measure and the overall impact in reducing flood risks.
With funds provided from a 2016 grant program sponsored by the New England Interstate Waters Pollution Control Commission (NEIWPCC) and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation's (NYCDEC) Hudson River Estuary Program (HEP), Princeton Hydro along with a variety of project partners completed a flood assessment and flood mitigation analysis specific to the Lower Moodna Creek watershed.
Let’s take a closer look at our work with the Lower Moodna Creek watershed, and explore some of the methods used to estimate flood risk and develop a flood management strategy:
The primary Lower Moodna Creek project goals were to assess flood vulnerabilities and propose flood mitigation solutions that consider both traditional engineering strategies and natural systems solution approaches (land preservation, wetland/forest restoration, green infrastructure and green water management). The project team focused on ways to use the natural environment to reduce risk. Instead of strictly focusing on just Moonda Creek, the team took a holistic approach which included all areas that drain into the river too. These analyses were incorporated into a Flood Assessment Master Plan and Flood Mitigation Plan, which will serve as a road map to reducing flooding issues within the watershed.
The first step in managing flood risk is to understand what type of exposure the communities face. The Moodna Creek project modeled flooding within the watershed during normal rain events, extreme rain events, and future rain events with two primary goals in mind:
The project team used these models and data to propose and evaluate a series of design measures that help reduce and mitigate existing and anticipated flood risk within the study area. Where possible, the proposed solutions prioritized approaches that protect and/or mirror natural flood protection mechanisms within the watershed such as floodplain re-connection and wetland establishment. In addition to flood protection, the project components also provide water quality protection, aesthetics and recreation, pollutant reduction, and wildlife habitat creation.
Zoning is a powerful tool that determines a region’s exposure to hazards and risk. Zoning determines which uses are permitted, or encouraged, to be built in moderate and high-risk areas. It also prevents certain uses, such as critical facilities, from being built in those areas. Zoning is also a determinant of a region’s character and identity.
In the Lower Moodna Creek watershed, a large majority (82%) of land is zoned for residential use. However, in the flood-prone areas, there is a higher ratio of areas zoned for non-residential uses (commercial, industrial) than in areas that are zoned for potential future development. Specifically, within the 10-year storm recurrence floodplain, 30% of the land is zoned for industrial use. This is likely because several facilities, such as wastewater treatment plants and mills, require access to the river and were strategically developed to be within immediate proximity of waterfront access. The Lower Moodna zoning analysis demonstrated a general preference within watershed to limit residential use of flood-prone areas.
Preserving land allows for natural stormwater management, as well as limits the exposure of development, and minimizes sources of erosion within the watershed. Preserved land also maintains the hydrologic and ecologic function of the land by allowing rainwater to be absorbed or retained where it falls and thus minimizing run-off. If the land within the floodplain is preserved, it will never be developed, and therefore the risk — a calculation of rate exposure and the value of the potential damage — is eliminated. Therefore, land preservation, both within the floodplains and in upland areas, is the best way to minimize flood damage.
Conserved riparian areas also generate a range of ecosystem services, in addition to the hazard mitigation benefits they provide. Protected forests, grasslands, and wetlands along rivers and streams can improve water quality, provide habitat to many species, and offer a wide range of recreational opportunities. Given the co-benefits that protected lands provide, there is growing interest in floodplain conservation as a flood damage reduction strategy.
Within the mapped Lower Moodna floodplains, our assessment determined that there appears to be a slight priority for preserving land most at-risk for flooding. This is likely a consequence of prioritizing land that is closest to riparian areas and preserving wetland areas, which are the most likely to experience flooding. Within the floodplains for the 10-year storm, approximately 22.7% is preserved. For the 100-year storm, approximately 21.2% of the land is preserved. Within the 500-year storm, this number drops slightly to 20.3%. These numbers are so close in part because the difference between the 10-year, 100-year, and 500-year floodplains are small in many areas of the watershed.
Hydrology is the scientific study of the waters of the earth, with a particular focus on how rainfall and evaporation affect the flow of water in streams and storm drains. Hydraulics is the engineering analysis of the flow of water in channels, pipelines, and other hydraulic structures. Hydrology and hydraulics analyses are a key part of flood management.
As part of this flood assessment, Princeton Hydro created a series of hydrologic and hydraulic (H&H) models to assess the extent of potential flooding from the 10-year, 100-year, and 500-year storm recurrence intervals within the Lower Moodna. The modeling, which included flows for these storm events under existing conditions and future conditions based on predicted increases in precipitation and population growth, makes it easier to assess what new areas are most impacted in the future.
These are just a few of the assessments we conducted to analyze the ways in which flooding within the watershed may be affected by changes in land use, precipitation, and mitigation efforts. The flood models we developed informed our recommendations and proposed flood mitigation solutions for reducing and mitigating existing and anticipated flood risk.
Check out Part Two of this blog series in which we explore flood risk-reduction strategies that include both traditional engineering and natural systems solutions:
For more information about Princeton Hydro's flood management services, go here.
To celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act, the Musconetcong Watershed Association (MWA) is hosting the “Wild & Scenic Film Festival On Tour”. The festival is free and open to the public, but seating is limited so, registration is required. The festival will be held on Sunday, September 9th from 10 am to 2 pm at Centenary University in Hackettstown, NJ.
To bring communities together around local and global environmental issues, The "Wild & Scenic Film Festival" goes "on-tour" partnering with nonprofit organizations and local groups to screen films year-round with hopes of inspiring individuals to take environmental action. The tour stops in 170 communities around the globe, features over 150 award-winning films, and welcomes over 100 guest speakers, celebrities, and activists who bring a human face to the environmental movement.
The Hackettstown, NJ tour event will feature 11 short films including River Connections, which celebrates the 50th anniversary of the Federal Wild and Scenic Rivers Act, under which the Musconetcong River is protected. The film explores the importance of free-flowing rivers and highlights the recent Hughesville Dam removal project. An interactive panel event will follow the film screening and feature experts including MWA Executive Director Alan Hunt, Ph.D. and Princeton Hydro President Geoffrey Goll, P.E., who were both interviewed in the film.
"Our multidisciplinary approach to dam removal using ecology and engineering, paired with a dynamic stakeholder partnership, led to a successful river restoration, where native fish populations returned within a year," said Princeton Hydro's President Geoffrey Goll, P.E. "We are grateful for MWA's hard work in organizing this film festival so we can continue to share our dam removal success stories and the importance of the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act."
Princeton Hydro, a proud sponsor of the "Wild & Scenic Film Festival On Tour," has worked with MWA to design five dam removals on the Musconetcong River, including the Hughesville Dam. As noted in the River Connections film, the Hughesville Dam was a major milestone in restoring migratory fish passage along the Musconetcong. Only a year after the completion of the dam removal, American shad were documented as having returned to the "Musky" for the first time in 250 years.
The tour leads up to the annual 5-day film festival, which will be held January 17-21, 2019 in Nevada City and Grass Valley, California. Sponsored by National Park Service, the Wild & Scenic Film Festival honors the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act, landmark legislation passed by Congress in October 1968 that safeguards the free-flowing character of rivers by precluding them from being dammed, while allowing the public to enjoy them. It encourages river management and promotes public participation in protecting streams.
On a bright, sunny day in Warren County, Princeton Hydro celebrated the Columbia Dam Removal Project with New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) Commissioner Catherine McCabe, The New Jersey Nature Conservancy (event organizer), American Rivers, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), NJDEP Division of Fish and Wildlife Service, RiverLogic Solutions, and SumCo Eco-Contracting.
Overlooking the soon-to-be removed, century-old, hydroelectric Columbia Dam, key stakeholders, including Princeton Hydro's President Geoffrey Goll, P.E. and New Jersey Nature Conservancy's Director Barbara Brummer, remarked on the success of the project, collaborative team efforts, and future benefits to the Paulins Kill habitat.
NJ Nature Conservancy's River Restoration Manager, Beth Styler-Barry thanked project funders including NJDEP's Office of Natural Resource Restoration, USFWS's Fish Passage Program, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation's Bring Back The Natives program, Natural Resources Conservation Service's Regional Conservation Partnership Program, New Jersey Corporate Wetlands Restoration Partnership, Leavens Foundation, Tom's of Maine, and Nature Conservancy members and donors.
"We made a commitment early-on to a 10-year monitoring and measurement plan. The removal of Columbia Dam is an opportunity to gain new knowledge and generate data that builds the case for this type of restoration. We'll be looking at everything from mussels to temperature to geomorphological changes to increasing our targeted efficiencies. We're also going to use images taken from repeated drone flyovers to look closely at changes in topography," said Styler-Barry.
NJDEP Commissioner Catherine McCabe added, "The Columbia Dam is ranked in the top 5% of the nearly 14,000 dams that were assessed for priority. It will give us one of the most bangs for our buck in terms of fish and native species that we'll be able to bring back up here." She added, "This is exactly what Natural Resources Damages funds should be used for, and we are thrilled to see it come to fruition."
Back in the day, this dam structure was a marvel of engineering. Because concrete was very expensive during the time of construction, a patented, innovative "ransom hollow" design was used, which means it has a hollow center with series of doorways underneath the dam, explained Geoffrey Goll, P.E., President of Princeton Hydro. However, sustainability and climate change are very important issues today and must be taken into consideration for the life-cycle of a dam.
"Removal is a logical step in the history of this dam. Dam removals are the most impactful restorations. They provide the most ecological uplift and improvement for rivers," Goll stated.
For Princeton Hydro, this project involved every discipline we have in the firm: civil engineering, fishery biology, wetland science, hydraulics, geotechnical engineering, and regulatory work. We were contracted by American Rivers to investigate, design, and permit for the removal of this dam for the New Jersey Nature Conservancy. Our team of engineers and ecologists studied the feasibility of removal by collecting sediment samples, performed bioassay tests, and conducted a hydraulic analysis of upstream and downstream conditions. Currently, we are providing construction administration services during the removal process. This project is a great example of our ability to complete multi-disciplinary projects in-house.
At the end of the press conference, project partners celebrated the anticipation of the "first hammer" in the near future with an imitation dynamite siren and plastic sledge hammers. It was truly a keystone moment for everyone involved in this project.
The remnant dam downstream has already been removed and the main dam is due to be removed very soon. Check out our previous story with a series of photos documenting this first-step in the overall dam removal process: bit.ly/ColumbiaDamRemoval. Stay tuned for photos during the main dam removal process too.
Princeton Hydro has designed, permitted, and overseen the reconstruction, repair, and removal of a dozens of small and large dams in the Northeast. To learn more about our fish passage and dam removal engineering services, visit: bit.ly/DamBarrier.
Hurricane Sandy was the largest storm to ever originate in the Atlantic ocean. It badly damaged several countries in the Caribbean, caused over $50 billion in damages along the Eastern Seaboard, and left dozens dead. While hurricanes are a natural part of our climate system, research shows that intense hurricane activity has been on the rise in the North Atlantic since the 1970s. This trend is likely to be exacerbated by sea level rise and growing populations along coastlines. Natural coastal habitats — like wetlands and dunes — have proven to shield people from storms and sea-level rise, and have protected coastal communities from hundreds of millions of dollars in damage.
The Dunes at Shoal Harbor, a residential community in Monmouth County, New Jersey, is situated adjacent to both the Raritan Bay and the New York City Ferry channel. The site, previously utilized for industrial purposes, consisted of a partially demolished docking/berthing facility. A significantly undersized 6” diameter, 8-foot long stone revetment was also constructed on the property.
During Hurricane Sandy, the revetment failed and the community was subjected to direct wave attack and flooding. Homes were damaged, beach access was impaired, and the existing site-wide stormwater management basin and outfall was completely destroyed.
Princeton Hydro performed a wave attack analysis commensurate with a category three hurricane event, and used that data to complete a site design for shoreline protection. Consistent with the analysis, the site design includes the installation of a 15-foot rock revetment (one foot above the 100-year floodplain elevation) constructed with four-foot diameter boulders. The project also consists of replacing a failed elevated timber walkway with a concrete slab-on-grade walkway, restoring portions of the existing bulkhead, clearing invasive plants, and the complete restoration of the failed stormwater basin and outlet.
The plan incorporates natural barriers to reduce the impacts of storm surges and protect the coastal community, including planting stabilizing coastal vegetation to prevent erosion and installing fencing along the dune to facilitate natural dune growth.
These measures will discourage future erosion of the shoreline, protect the residential community from future wave attacks and flooding, and create a stable habitat for native and migratory species. The project is currently in the permitting phase, and will move to construction when all permits are obtained from local, state, and federal agencies.
This project is an great example of Princeton Hydro's ability to coordinate multi-disciplinary projects in-house. Our Water Resources Engineering, Geosciences Engineering, and Natural Resources teams have collaborated efficiently to analyze, design, and permit this shoreline protection project. For more information on our engineering services, go here.
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