To project from future storms, construction started last week on flood wall, which will reach 21 feet above sea level, at the Sayreville pump station
MIDDLESEX COUNTY -- The state has broken ground on a 1,700-foot flood wall as part of the Middlesex County Utilities Authority's $123 million investment to bolster two facilities in the event of another Sandy-like storm.
The 2012 superstorm inundated the Sayreville and Edison pump stations with floodwaters almost four feet above ground level and caused roughly $2.6 million in damages to drinking and waste water infrastructure across New Jersey.
A PSE&G truck makes its way through the Hurricane Sandy flooded street of Weber Avenue in Sayreville a day after Superstorm Sandy hit. To project from future storms, construction started last week on flood wall, which will reach 21 feet above sea level, and other improvements at Sayreville station, the state Department of Environmental Protection said in a release Wednesday. The Edison improvements started two years ago.
The MCUA will use a low-interest bridge loan from the state to fund the improvements up front. Federal funds are expected to cover $95 million of the costs for both projects, leaving the authority owing roughly $28 million.
"We remain committed to this goal as one part of our multifaceted efforts to make New Jersey more resilient against storms such as Sandy," DEP Commissioner Bob Martin said in the release.
The $88 million of improvements at the Sayreville station will also include backup generators and a system to control stormwater backup into the Raritan River, the state DEP said.
FEMA is expected to reimburse the authority $78 million for that project, according to the release. The project is expected to finish by 2020.
"This innovative funding program with the cooperation of the state agencies and the MCUA will go a long way to protecting our residents, their property and the environment - all of which are priorities for Middlesex County," said Middlesex County Freeholder Director Ronald G. Rios.
Statewide Assistance Infrastructure Loans, or SAIL, were developed by the New Jersey Environmental Infrastructure Trust and DEP to provide funding in advance for disaster relief projects ahead of federal assistance.
At the Edison station, the construction of a 650-foot flood wall and stormwater control systems had been under way since 2015, according to the release.
FEMA has already committed $17 million to the project, but federal officials are currently reviewing a request for additional funds, officials said.
"This funding and the repairs will put us on a path toward greater resiliency for our critical wastewater pumping infrastructure," said MCUA Executive Director Richard Fitamant.
The authority serves around 800,000 people in Central Jersey, including all of Middlesex and more than a dozen municipalities in Somerset and Union counties.
Craig McCarthy may be reached at CMcCarthy@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @createcraig and on Facebook here. Find NJ.com on Facebook.