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For Immediate Release: February 29, 2008

Contact: Kimberly Allen, (202) 226-8364; (202) 420-1524 [cell]

Congressman Rothman Meets with Army Corps of Engineers about Vital Flood Control Project on the Lower Saddle River

(Washington, DC)—On Wednesday, February 27th, Congressman Steve Rothman (D-Fair Lawn) met with the Army Corps of Engineers about their Fiscal Year 2009 Civil Works budget. During the meeting—which included Colonel Aniello Tortora, Commander and District Engineer of the Army Corps in New York/Northern New Jersey—Rothman strongly reiterated that a flood control project on the Lower Saddle River should be a national budget priority for the Corps. Without such priority status requested by the Administration, enough money will not be available to cover the cost of the requisite project analysis, let alone construction.

"Unless action is taken to provide a long-term solution to major flooding along the Lower Saddle River, the cost of short-term fixes will continue to mount. The widespread economic damage caused by last year's nor'easter proved that our local problem has national repercussions. And just last week, we saw significant flooding in Lodi and Saddle Brook after a winter storm that was not nearly as severe as the nor'easter. The federal government must devote more resources to helping the people and businesses along the Lower Saddle River and I will continue to press this issue throughout the debate over next year's budget," said Rothman.

Rothman has repeatedly reached out to Army Corps officials over the years to highlight recurring flooding problems in towns along the Lower Saddle River (Fair Lawn, Garfield, Lodi, Paramus, Rochelle Park, Saddle Brook, South Hackensack, and Wallington). However, following last April's devastating nor'easter, the impact of the Administration's inaction became even more apparent to officials. Rothman's efforts to press the Administration to provide more money to this project culminated last year in the Assistant Secretary of the Army, John Paul Woodley, touring flood-affected areas. Rothman, Lodi Borough Manager Tony Luna, Saddle Brook Mayor Louis D'Arminio, and other local officials were part of that action.

In making their case, Rothman, Luna, and the mayors noted that flooding damage not only ruins homes, but also hurts businesses and costs the nation millions in federal disaster relief to the affected areas.

The Army corps has said that an updated national study of the Lower Saddle River project must be completed before construction on a possible solution to the flooding can begin. Rothman was able to successfully secure $170,000 toward this study in the 2008 spending bill. However, in the current earmark environment—with fewer federal funds available for Members' local projects—Rothman is also exploring other ways to increase the amount of federal money available for this study. The sooner the Army Corps obtains the $1 million necessary for the study, the more quickly it can be completed so that construction can begin.

Previously, Rothman has secured $315,000 for the Lower Saddle River Flood Control Project: $190,000 in a 2007 spending bill and $125,000 in a 2006 spending bill.

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