Green Infrastructure & Floodplain Restoration on Blue Acres Property in Linden’s Tremley Point

The City of Linden, located 13 miles southwest of Manhattan in Union County, New Jersey, is a highly urbanized area with a complex mix of residential, commercial, and industrial land uses. Originally settled as farmland on broad marshes, the City has deep roots in industrial production that emerged in the 19th century, and its easily accessible location on the Arthur Kill tidal straight helped fuel this industrial development. Like other communities in the Arthur Kill Watershed, Linden suffers severe flooding from heavy rains and storms with one of the significant sources of flood water coming from stormwater runoff. Due to a high percentage of impervious cover from houses, roadways, and sidewalks, even small rain events generate a significant amount of stormwater runoff. Over time, these conditions have been exacerbated by the historic loss of coastal wetlands and outdated infrastructure. Nuisance flooding is especially problematic, as runoff cannot drain from the area at a sufficient rate to prevent flooding during normal or elevated tidal conditions. 

Linden’s Tremley Point, a community of about 275 homes located at the headwaters of Marshes Creek and in the 100-year floodplain of the Rahway River, is particularly prone to backwater flooding because of its low-lying landscape position and its proximity to an extensive area of tidal wetlands. 

As part of the NJDEP Blue Acres Program, Princeton Hydro, in collaboration with the City of Linden, Rutgers University, NJDEP, Phillips 66, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, New Jersey Corporate Wetlands Restoration Partnership, and Enviroscapes, undertook one of the first ecological restoration projects within Blue Acres-acquired properties, which are located in the Tremley Point neighborhood. This project focused on increasing storm resiliency by reducing flooding and stormwater runoff through the enhancement of ecological and floodplain function within the former residential properties acquired by the NJDEP Blue Acres Program. 

The project includes the development and implementation of an on-the-ground natural green infrastructure-focused floodplain enhancement design involving the restoration of native coastal floodplain forest and meadow, as well as floodplain wetlands. The restored area provides natural buffering to storm surge and enhances floodplain functions to capture, infiltrate, store, and slow excess stormwater to reduce the risk of future flood damage. In addition, it restores natural habitat and provides public recreation access on NJDEP Blue Acres property. Princeton Hydro also created a maintenance plan for the City of Linden Public Works Department, who will be responsible for maintaining the property in perpetuity. They will monitor the site and remove invasive species. The project team is also in discussion with Groundwork Elizabeth — a local nonprofit who provides resources, education, and training to the environmentally underserved in Elizabeth and surrounding Union County — to help the city monitor the site moving forward.